Larkin, Raymond no-show, Lyon’s rough night, and more: 3 reasons why Detroit Red Wings lost 5-1 to Montreal Canadiens

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Dec 22, 2024 04:32 GMT

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The Detroit Red Wings dropped a lopsided 5-1 game to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at the Bell Centre. With the win, the Habs swept the home-and-home series with the Red Wings, further shoving them down the Atlantic Division standings.

Patrik Laine got his eighth of the season (PPG), with Juraj Slafkovsky, Jake Evans, Emil Heineman, and Brendan Gallagher scoring for the Montreal Canadiens. Joe Veleno scored for the Red Wings, netting the game’s first goal at 6:41 of the first period.

So, here’s a closer look at the three key reasons why the Detroit Red Wings lost to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

3 reasons why Detroit Red Wings lost to Montreal Canadiens

#3 Special teams’ failure

The Detroit Red Wings’ special teams failed to live up to expectations on Saturday night. Firstly, the power play went 0-for-4 on the night. The Wings had two power play opportunities in the second period, which could have changed the game’s outcome. Instead, the Canadiens scored to take a commanding 5-1 lead.

Then, the penalty kill wasn’t overly successful. The Canadiens went 1-for-5 with the man advantage. While not a terrible performance, Laine’s power play marker late in the first period put the Habs up 3-1. Had the Wings killed off the power play, the game would have been much closer heading into the second.

However, the Wings could not stop Laine, and the game quickly got out of hand for Detroit.

#2 Lyon had a rough night

The usually reliable Alex Lyon had a rough night for the Detroit Red Wings. Lyon gave up five goals on 24 shots.

For Lyon, it was the third time in his last five appearances that he gave up four goals or more. In his last start, Lyon gave up four goals but managed to squeak out a victory against the Philadelphia Flyers.

However, that was not the case on Saturday night. The Wings gave up five and could not score enough goals to make up the difference.

#1 Top scorers were a no-show

As has been an unfortunate trend for the Red Wings, top scorers Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond were a no-show. In particular, the duo combined for one shot on goal. Meanwhile, Vladimir Tarasenko was a minus-1 with two shots on goal, and Alex DeBrincat managed three but could not score.

Moritz Seider got an assist on Veleno’s goal, but that was it for the Red Wing’s top stars. Moving forward, the Detroit Red Wings will need their top scorers to step up in order to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Red Wings will face the St. Louis Blues on Monday night in their last game before the Christmas break.