Connect with us

Detroit Red Wings

Five Red Wings Who Need to Get Going

Andrew Copp hasn’t scored since Nov. 7

Published

3 months ago

on

Andrew Copp, Red Wings
Red Wings forward Andrew Copp has gone 25 games without scoring a goal.

Detroit Red Wings forward David Perron got off the snide in Tuesday’s win over the San Jose Sharks. His two-goal performance marked the first time that Perron was denting twine sinice a similar two-goal outburst Nov. 26 against the Minnesota Wild.

Now that he’s going ahead, here’s a look at five other Red Wings players who need to shake the doldrums and get back to doing what they do best in order to help the club move back into the NHL playoff picture.

Red Wings Copp Goalless For 25 Games

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s have come and gone since Detroit forward Andrew Copp last scored a goal. For that matter, so have Veterans Day, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

It was Nov. 7 at Madison Square Garden when Copp scored for the second game in a row against his old club the New York Rangers. That was 25 games ago.

After Copp was posting a career-high 21-goal season in a campaign split between the Winnipeg Jets and Rangers, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was opting to sign Copp to a five-year, $28,125,000 UFA contract.

It’s not looking like money well spent. Last season, his first in Detroit, Copp was limited to nine goals. Part of the reason for his decline in production was chalked up to offseason core surgery.

There’s been no such health issues this season, yet Copp is on pace to score just 11 goals. He was minus-three in Tuesday’s 5-3 win at San Jose. Copp diod manage to accidentally push the puck into the Red Wings net for what the soccer folk call an own goal.

A lower-body injury is leaving Copp as questionable for Thursday’s game at Los Angeles, which at this point, could be looked upon as a blessing in disguise.

Fabbri Fading Fast

There was a buzz of excitement when forward Robby Fabbri netted seven goals in his first 11 games coming back from his latest injury. Lately, he’s dried up like skin in winter.

Fabbri has gone 10 games without a goal. He’s dished out one assist in that span and is minus five.

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde played Fabbri as his fourth-line center against the Sharks.

Gostisbehere A 5-on-5 Nightmare

Here are two stats that will give you pause. Over his past eight games, Red Wings defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has accounted for 2-3-5 totals. Through his last six games, Gostisbehere is also minus-11.

When it comes to being a reliable 5-on-5 performer, the Ghost is ghosting Detroit. He was a minus-three at San Jose, dropping him to a team-worst minus-17. He’s proving to be what Gostisbehere’s reputation says he is – a guy who will make your power play click, but can’t be trusted defensively at even strength.

Veleno Has Vanished

Like Fabbri, Veleno was turning heads early on when he scored five goals during a five-game span in October. The 2018 first-round pick was even earning minutes skating on Detroit’s top forward line.

Tuesday, Veleno found himself skating alongside Fabbri on the fourth line. He’s tallied twice over the past 27 games. Veleno is minus-11 in his past 12 games.

Red Wings Need More From Moritz

It would be wrong to suggest that Moritz Seider’s overall game has been poor. However, what’s been entirely noticeable lately is that Detroit’s No. 1 defenseman is making some very un-Seider-like errors.

In the New Year’s Eve loss to Boston, Seider sought to skate the puck out of the Detroit zone past two defenders when he was literally the only Red Wings player on the ice who was involved in the play. There have been ill-advised pinches leading to odd-man rushes the opposite way, and soft clearance attempts that were easily intercepted. He endured a run from Dec. 7-27 in which he was minus-eight.

No one expects Seider to be perfect. However, with Detroit’s lack of depth of quality defenders, the Red Wings need to be able to count on him to be making wise decisions with the puck.

Related Topics: