Red Wings’ Derek Lalonde convinced ‘Vegas (not Golden Knights) hates us’
DETROIT – The sheer number of Detroit Red Wings fans in many arenas throughout the NHL might lead you to believe they are hockey’s version of America’s Team.
They are not Las Vegas’ team, however.
Coach Derek Lalonde noted Wednesday that oddsmakers don’t like his club’s chances of reaching the playoffs – even with a four-point lead in the chase for the final wild card spot.
“There’s still projections out there that people send me that we’re a low 20 percent chance; some teams chasing us are 67 percent chance of making it,” Lalonde said. “I get it with these projections and AI and all that, but that’s why you just shut things off. Live in the moment and if we are going to stay in this battle and be fortunate enough to be there in the end, it’s going to be what we do.”
He was asked if he checked the latest odds.
“It’s not good,” he said, lightheartedly. “Today’s betting, I’m not a gambler, but you go to the NHL schedule, and they have the odds and Vegas hates us. So, I hope they’ve lost a lot of money on us.
“Someone gave me a stat – we’ve won more games as a Vegas underdog than anyone in the league this year by a large margin. So, keep the secret. Maybe it motivates our guys. We were road underdogs, big dogs in Calgary (5-0 victory Saturday) and Seattle (4-3 overtime win Monday). That’s fine. I think it says something about the group. There’s a quiet confidence in that room. We got to continue to do it right.”
The Red Wings’ roster is a mix of younger players who have not experienced the Stanley Cup playoffs and veterans who have been through the grind with other clubs.
Lalonde’s advice for those dealing with the pressures for the first time:
“Live in the moment with it,” he said. “Day to day. We shut the noise off. I don’t do social media for a reason. I hope our guys are the same. I’m sure the two straight losses (to Edmonton and Vancouver last week), it (the playoff race) was over for some fans, and then the two straight wins it’s already a lock buying playoff tickets. We can’t operate like that. This is going to be extremely difficult. It’s more a credit to our division and our conference.”
With 27 games remaining – one-third of the season – Lalonde said it’s too soon to declare his team, which hasn’t made the postseason since 2016, will remain in the race until the end.
“We had a 9-2-2 stretch before the (All-Star) break. We’re 3-2 after the break,” Lalonde said. “If you would have told us you got Vancouver twice, Edmonton, you’re at Calgary, at Seattle, any team in the league would take a 3-2 segment. And here we are, we can’t separate.
“It’s not going to happen. It’s going to be more about us going after it. I talked about 95, 97, 100 points. I still think it’s going to be around 97 points (to qualify). We’ll be watching what’s going on around us, but we just have to take care of our business.”
Husso update
Lalonde said the time frame for goaltender Ville Husso’s lower-body injury is similar to what he missed earlier this season, which is 5-6 weeks. He hasn’t been ruled out for the season.
Alex Lyon will start in goal Thursday against Colorado (7 p.m., Bally Sports Detroit) and Lalonde said he’s going with the same lineup as Monday, so Klim Kostin and Justin Holl are out.
