Todd McLellan Reflects on Red Wings’ Loss to Stars: A Reactive Approach Must Change

After a promising seven-game win streak, Todd McLellan and the Detroit Red Wings have hit a rough patch, losing three of their last four games. The latest setback came on Sunday night in a tough loss to the Dallas Stars. McLellan shared his thoughts on the team’s performance and highlighted what needs to change to get back on track.

McLellan’s Reaction to the Loss

In his post-game comments, McLellan pointed out a shift in the Red Wings’ approach to games. He noted that, after weeks of playing aggressively and proactively, the team had become reactive, simply waiting for things to unfold instead of dictating the pace. According to McLellan, this shift in mindset was a significant factor in their recent struggles.

“We’ve been a reactive team, when a couple of weeks ago, we were proactive,” McLellan explained. “We were getting after it, and now we’re waiting to see what happens and reacting to it. We’ve got to fix that, and we will.” This recognition sets the tone for the necessary changes McLellan plans to make, especially as the Red Wings face a tough stretch of road games in the coming weeks.

Positives in the Loss to the Stars

While the loss was disappointing, McLellan also acknowledged some positive aspects in the team’s performance. Despite the Stars’ victory, the Red Wings threw 34 shots on goal, marking one of their best performances in terms of shot volume this season. According to Evolving Hockey, this was the fourth-highest shot total for Detroit in the 2024-25 season.

“There’s some good in the game, too. There’s no doubt about it — we’re disappointed we lost,” McLellan admitted. “But there’s individuals who have to feel good about how they played tonight.” While the overall outcome wasn’t what the team had hoped for, McLellan encouraged his players to focus on the positives and work on fixing the preventable mistakes that led to the loss.

Addressing Critical Mistakes

McLellan pinpointed two major mistakes that played a key role in the defeat. The first was an early turnover that resulted in a penalty-kill goal for the Stars, a critical error that McLellan believes could have been avoided. “You look at the first one — the turnover. The penalty kill goal we gave up, we’re stumbling all over ourselves, and it’s in the back of the net,” he said. If the Red Wings can eliminate such mistakes moving forward, McLellan is confident that their fortunes will improve.