The Detroit Red Wings had their most complete game performance of the season when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks on the road, 5-2 on Thursday night.
It's their fourth win of the season. Starting a winning streak would be the right thing for this group to start doing.
What Worked for the Red Wings Against Canucks
Setting the Tone: A
In the heat of battle, a team must always set the tone from the start. There's no other game this season that Detroit has had an impressive start to than this game against the Canucks.
The Red Wings looked like an elite team in the first period. They attacked the net and scored three goals.
Forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygaad spoke with the media after the game. Everything that they have been working for paid off on Thursday night. The game plan worked efficiently.
"I think we had a game plan," Brandsegg-Nygaad said. "We had a couple of good bounces in the beginning, and our momentum from that was good, and we didn't let off the gas."
Penalty: C
Although the Red Wings had an outstanding night, there is no such thing as perfection in sports. There's always room to improve. The Red Wings need to stay out of penalty minutes. Red Wings finished with eight penalty minutes. Canucks also had eight.
Power Play: B
Yes, one power-play goal is better than zero. The Red Wings went 1-for-4 in those situations. We need to see the Red Wings be more assertive and strategic on the power play. This is too much of a talented group to not take advantage of those opportunities.
Shots on Goal: A
Offensively, the Red Wings expose the weakness of the Canucks' defense. The Red Wings outshot the Canucks 31-to-13. The biggest dominance came between the first and second periods combined. Just in those two periods, the Red Wings attempted 24 shots compared to Canucks five.
Coaching: A-
Head coach Todd McLellan had the best game as a coach this season. He made the right moves. This is the most focused we have seen from McLellan. He is always attentive to detail, and his system worked well in this game.
Although he's content with the fast start and good shooting, he wasn't satisfied with the third period.
"Couple of mistakes in the third, but thought we played the type of game we needed to play; we checked really well," McLellan said.
Defense: B+
It wasn't the greatest performance from their defense, but they were better than in most games throughout this month.
The Red Wings blocked 11 shots and delivered 21 hits. The defense held the Canucks to just five shots in the first period and allowed zero in the second. Moritz Seider logged five blocks. Goaltending was solid.
The Red Wings and Canucks will meet again on Nov. 25 at Little Caesars Arena. Canucks have lost their ninth game in a row. The Red Wings will continue their road trip, facing the Calgary Flames on Saturday at 10 pm.
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