In 16 games since McLellan took over, the Red Wings are 11-4-1, riding a three-game win streak as they prepare to head to western Canada on Wednesday. It’s not unusual to see a midseason coaching change bring better results in the NHL, but now more than 30 days in, the Red Wings’ surge has lasted longer than a simple adrenaline rush.
Lucas Raymond is on fire, and is the third Red Wings player to hit the 20-goal mark this season. Todd McLellan compared him to Red Wings great Henrik Zetterberg. Brad Galli has more.
The Red Wings (24-21-5, 53 points) would tie Tampa Bay and Columbus for the final wild card spot with a win over the Oilers and a regulation loss by the Blue Jackets at Vegas, though technically Detroit would still trail based on points percentage and tiebreakers.
Last season was a coming out party for Detroit Red Wings star forward Lucas Raymond. This season is about Raymond establishing his credentials among the elite performers in the NHL.
The Kings take a two-goal lead in the first period before losing, 5-2, against their former head coach and dropping to 2-5-1 over their last eight games.
Detroit — Sunday marked the one-month anniversary of Todd McLellan taking over as head coach of the Red Wings. McLellan replaced Derek Lalonde on Dec. 26, with the Wings in seventh place in the Atlantic Division and eight points out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
In the Red Wings’ ongoing build, the biggest question can be found at the base: Do they have elite talent? Lucas Raymond is starting to answer it.
The Red Wings showed they're learning how to win after falling behind against a great defensive team like the Kings and scoring five straight goals.
McLellan has put his stamp on the Red Wings a month into his tenure. They’re playing faster. They’re scoring more. They’re outshooting opponents most nights because of better puck possession and a newfound shot mentality.
Veteran forward Andrew Copp said the Detroit Red Wings have a togetherness they lacked before head coach Todd McLellan was hired in late December.
Raymond had an assist, three shots on net and one block in Thursday's 4-2 win over Montreal. Several Canadiens defenders bought Raymond's fake to the slot before he slipped the puck to Alex DeBrincat,