December was a bad month for the Wings. They still have looked the best out of the 3 promising teams in the Atlantic (Detroit, Buffalo, and Ottawa) because Buffalo and Ottawa can't even stay at .500. They brought in Kane and Kane has been great, but they've struggled to win. A major issue is keeping the puck out of the back of the net. Another issue is they have not been able to win games where they score less than 4 goals. They have not won a SINGLE game where they scored less than 4 goals. They are 0-16-1 when they score less than 4 goals. Being to win those 3-2, 2-1 games are key in making the playoffs. They did have injuries in December, but they've been still losing or barely winning once Perron and Larkin were back. They are currently behind 7 Metro teams. They do not have games in hand on the Flyers, Islanders, Devils, Capitals, or the Penguins. They have played the same amount of games as Carolina. Luckily for Detroit, both Toronto and Tampa have struggled. Both are only 3 points ahead and Tampa has played 1 more game while Toronto does have a 3 games in hand. All these teams in the East are close to one another. The Panthers, Leafs, Lighting, Islanders, Devils, Capitals, Penguins, and Red Wings are only separated by 8 points. The Red Wings are currently 3 points out of a wild card spot. They need to stop the bleeding and have a great Janurary. They go on the Cali road trip to start of 2024. They blew a 4-0 lead to San Jose in December, but they should beat San Jose. I think they could beat LA too since LA's home record is iffy. They lost to Anahiem 4-3 (Went down 4-0 intially) in December, but they should beat Anahiem. They ened at least 4 points on the Cali swing. The rest of the games in Janurary will prob determine their fate. They play Edmonton (Who has been on a roll) and LA (Who are road warriors) at home before going to Toronto (very key game), in Florida (another key game), in Carolina (another key game), before going home to play Tampa(crucial game), Dallas (tough game), Philly (key game), Vegas (tough game), and Ottawa (The team that Wings fans hate the most currently). They have to find ways to win games when they score less than 4 goals. Going 0-16-1 is just unacceptable. If the offence was midpack, they are near the basement, but luckily for them they have one of the best attacks. Their odds on MoneyPuck do not look good at all, but a nice winning streak, and a few teams slumping will help.
Definitely need to make line up changes now, if they want to try and push for a spot. A couple more defensively sound forwards to support the mediocre D core would be helpful in my opinion.
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
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