DETROIT — The Red Wings insisted throughout the offseason they were focused on a hot start to the season.
Mission: accomplished.
What's happened next is an unfortunate flip of the script. The Red Wings scored a total of three goals in their western Canada trip, losing three straight games.
The Red Wings got off to a hot start. Then their secondary scoring became a glaring issue.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 22, 2019
Our @wxyzdetroit report from Little Caesars Arena: pic.twitter.com/Q72uXGRiOn
Returning from the road trip, Jeff Blashill laid out the biggest issue hampering his team.
"One would certainly be not scoring," Blashill said on Tuesday. "Anytime you don't score, it gives the opportunity for momentum to totally change in games."
The Red Wings top line has produced, but the secondary scoring hasn't been consistent enough for Detroit to compete. Anthony Mantha has 10 points, Tyler Bertuzzi has eight points, and Dylan Larkin has seven points.
The forward with the next-most points is Darren Helm, who has three goals.
"Right now, we kind of have a problem scoring some goals. We have to shoot more," Filip Hronek said.
Is it that simple?
"Yeah, I think so. Create some chaos and get some dirty goals," he added.
The team made multiple roster moves on Tuesday, including waiving veteran defenseman Jonathan Ericsson. The roster's core is younger, and that's by design.
"We definitely have the guys in this locker room. It's just putting together 60 minutes, and doing it consistently is the biggest thing," Taro Hirose said.
