THE Detroit Red Wings will take the point – and the lesson.

After a hectic stretch that saw them play three times in four days, their next game won’t be until Wednesday, when undefeated Winnipeg arrives at Little Caesars Arena. This will allow you to rest and continue working to become a better team.

The Wings (4-4-1) scored a point this weekend with The 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday, a team that reached the Stanley Cup final last season. The Wings took a 2-1 lead into the third period, but couldn’t put together what it took to close out the game.

“We were too busy defending,” Andrew Copp said. “I think we weren’t thinking about scoring the next goal. We were just trying to hold on and hold on. Against a team like that, you keep giving them possession of the O-zone, they’ll break through at a given time.

“Of course we want to be responsible defensively, but we have to continue to attack a little more and try to gain time in the O-zone. The best way to defend is to play in the offensive zone.”

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This echoes this Patrick Kane said earlier in the week after the Wings’ 1-0 win over the New York Islanders thanks to the goaltending of Alex Lyon.

On Sunday, the Wings had a great first period and came out with a one-goal lead when Kane set up JT Compher.

“It’s good when we play hungry like that, on top of them, excited to play with the puck,” Kane said Sunday. “I don’t think about defending, but more about trusting them. We need to integrate that more into our game, especially when we have a lead.

“Throughout this year, we’ve seen it many times when we have a lead and we’re just playing defense. It’s just hard to defend like that all the time. It wears you down. It’s hard for you, the energy- It’s so much easier to play offensively with the puck in their territory We need to incorporate that into our game a little more.”

Coach Derek Lalonde called the result “a very good point against an opponent like that, on a straight game and a three out of four.” It’s a little frustrating the way things went in the third. But, it’s a very good point given the circumstances.

2020 MVP Leon Draisaitl scored in overtime to record his second goal and third point of the night, while three-time MVP Connor McDavid contributed to both of Draisaitl’s goals.

“They are two really special players,” Lalonde said. “In pre-scout we call them cheat code players, old Nintendo – they’re special players. So overall that’s a very good point.”

Contact Hélène St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

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His latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red WingsA Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released in October 2024. His books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Red Detroit Wings’ are available from Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via email.

This article was originally published on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings need to focus more on scoring to make defense easier