The Detroit Red Wings did not get off to the start they wanted. On Thursday, October 9, 2025, they lost to the Montreal Canadiens 5-1 at home. Newcomer John Gibson allowed five goals on 13 shots before being pulled in favor of Cam Talbot. Dylan Larkin scored the game’s first goal on the powerplay. Patrick Kane and Moritz Seider chipped in with an assist each on the goal.
There were a few bright spots in the game, but you couldn’t tell from head coach Todd McLellan‘s post-game comments. In McLellan’s eyes, many things happened that were “unacceptable.”
Todd McLellan on ‘Unacceptable’ Performance
McLellan spoke to the media after the game to discuss the team’s performance. He specifically mentioned one area as “unacceptable” for his team.
“You don’t give up two-on-ones. If a D is down, a forward covers,” McLellan said to open his media availability. “You manage the puck, you don’t turn it over. Now, if it happened once or twice in a game, it’d be okay. But, there was maybe six or seven outnumbered rushes at the end of the first period…from the 10-minute mark on.”
“It’s unacceptable.”
There was impatience in his voice as he discussed these issues. The coaching staff has been working with the team on these game-management issues, and it’s time for the players to step up.
“The players will probably say, ‘we can fix this,’” McLellan revealed. “When? It’s time. Some of them have been doing it for years. It’s time. We just spent three weeks at training camp dealing with these situations.”
“We’ll have to drill it back into them.”
When asked about the Red Wings’ mental toughness, McLellan didn’t believe that was an issue. He reiterated the importance of not shooting yourself in the foot by how the team manages the game.
“I don’t know if that was the case today,” McLellan reasoned. “It was just mental lapses, period. You can be as tough as you want mentally, but if you are doing very disruptive things to your own game, you’re going to break down real quick. We saw that time and time again in the game.”
“It was clearly one team that managed it well and took advantage of the chances they had. And another team that created multiple opportunities for the opposition.”
McLellan Liked How the Red Wings Started the Game
GettyTodd McLellan
While the Red Wings struggled with game management and odd-man rushes, the way the team started the game was exactly what the head coach wanted to see.
“I thought we started the game well. We were on our toes, we scored,” McLellan said. “We gave up that first goal, exactly something we pre-scouted, and an individual or two made an error. And you could feel the air go out a little bit. All of a sudden, you’re chasing the game and the coach is (expletive) and complaining about outnumbered rushes.”
“Did we create some chances down the stretch? Yeah, but in garbage time, so it doesn’t matter.”
The game management bothered McLellan. However, the game management’s revelations about the team were also concerning.
“Our game management – you’re going to hear that all year from me because clearly it’s still a huge issue,” McLellan said. “We just played the game, we didn’t play to win the game. We have no chance.”
“You never know what can happen in the NHL, but the way we were playing, it didn’t look good.”
McLellan on the Play of Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, & Axel Sandin-Pellikka
GettyEmmitt Finnie
The Red Wings trio of rookies – Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka – played their first NHL game in the 5-1 loss to the Canadiens. McLellan didn’t have much to say about their performance, but in this case, that’s a good thing.
“I thought they were okay. I can’t recall them being involved in a lot of the crap, if you will,” McLellan revealed about the trio. “It’s a different game; that team had already played once. For those three to get in and experience it – now our team wasn’t real good around them, so they’re not always going to feel comfortable.”
“I don’t think that they were involved in any of the major issues that we had. But we’ll have to go back and look.”
The Red Wings will regroup for Game Two of the regular season schedule. They play the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 11. The game is scheduled for 7 PM Eastern Standard Time.
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