"Really Disappointing": Red Wings' Season On The Brink After 5-4 Loss To Wild

Follow Michael Whitaker On X The 5-4 loss suffered by the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday afternoon against the Minnesota Wild may prove to be the one that hurts the most in what has been a string of disappointing setbacks. The Red Wings, who trailed entering the third period 4-1, mounted a furious comeback rally attempt to knot the score at 4-4. But a careless penalty from veteran Patrick Kane, who had tied the game just minutes earlier, proved disastrous.

Star forward Kirill Kaprizov completed his sixth career hat trick on the ensuing power-play with 1:51 left in regulation, breaking the 4-4 stalemate with what proved to be the game-winner. For the sixth time in their last eight games, the Red Wings walked away with zero points in the standings. That setback, combined with the victory by the Ottawa Senators over the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes later in the day, put a serious dent in Detroit's fading playoff chances.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news , game-day coverage, and player features . Even more disappointing was that the Red Wings managed just eight shots on goal through the first 40 minutes of play, while their undisciplined puck play led to prime chances for the Wild, which they converted. "My thoughts, I guess to put it gently, is it's really disappointing," explained head coach Todd McLellan afterward.

"Fifteen seconds in (after the start of the second period), we win a draw, and we're getting scored on because we, what word do I use, lollygag around and don't advance the puck. " "So now it's in our net, and our team right now, as soon as it doesn't go our way, we crumble for a while, and then we pick ourselves up off the mat, but it's too late, and we did it again today. Pattern.