Detroit Red Wings
By Kevin Allen
- The Detroit Red Wings’ penalty killing has been atrocious this season to the point that the team is challenging a record for inefficiency that has stood for 44 years.
Detroit’s PK success rate of 65.2%, if it continues for a full season, would break the 1979-80 Los Angeles Kings’ record of 68.2% as the worst penalty killing season in NHL history.
That 1979-80 campaign was Gordie Howe’s last NHL season with the Hartford Whalers. It was Wayne Gretzky’s second pro season. Mario Lemieux was 14. Thirty percent of the league’s players were still playing without a helmet.
Only two other NHL teams have finished with a PK percentage below 70% — the 1982-83 Kings (68.6%) and the 1978-79 Washington Capitals (69.7%).
How bad is Detroit’s percentage?
“We got to figure it out. It’s killing us,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said recently.
The NHL average is 78.4%. The Red Wings have given up 24 power play goals in 69 times shorthanded. If they prevent the other team from scoring for the next 40 consecutive times shorthanded, their percentage would be 78%. That’s still below the league average.
Today, 16 of the 32 teams have penalty killing percentages at 80% or above, led by the Nashville Predators at 89%. Last season, the Red Wings were at 79.6%. That ranked 14th in the NHL.
“Sometimes you just got to find a way, really,” Detroit penalty killer Tyler Motte said. “That’s what killing is all about. Finding a way to get clears, get blocks.”
JT Compher, Motte, Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin are primary penalty killers up front, while Moritz Seider, Simon Edvinsson, Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry play on defense. Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp and Christian Fischer also get time up front.
Do Red Wings Need to Change the System?
It’s clear that the Red Wings need to make some of effort to change the outcomes. They gave up two more power play goals Sunday in overtime loss to Vancouver.
Is it the system? Is it the personnel?
“It could be a little of both I think,” Lalonde said recently. “I think both have found its way into it not executing or performing.”
It’s not as if the Red Wings are going to trade for penalty killers. Is it time to give young Marco Kasper a chance? Should defensive-minded Justin Holl get more minutes?
Sometimes it feels as if the Red Wings are too passive on the kill. They bunker down, instead of pressing the points. Could that be the answer? The problem with that strategy is being too aggressive leaves gaps in the defensive coverage.
“Of course there’s some hesitation there,” Lalonde said. “You get it caught in between. That’s when you’re going to be in trouble. We’ve had some stretches with our penalty kill in which we’ve been caught in between.”
But the Red Wings have to do something: a team with a 65% percentage on the penalty kill isn’t going to make the playoffs in the parity-driven NHL.
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