What has gone wrong for the Detroit Red Wings?

Don’t look now, but the Detroit Red Wings appear to be in another free fall. They were so strong to start the season, and had a solid hold on a playoff spot all season. Through their first 51 games, they had a 31-16-4 record, powered by a dynamic power play and John Gibson’s play in net.

But in the last 19 games, they’re just 7-8-4. Losing both Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp over the past few weeks to injuries doesn’t help, but for a team who last appeared in the Stanley Cup Playoffs 10 years ago, there’s a sense of desperation as they currently sit outside of a playoff spot.

So what’s gone wrong for the Red Wings this season? Daily Faceoff fantasy analyst and Red Wings fan Brock Seguin joined Daily Faceoff Live to talk about Detroit and what’s been driving their recent struggles.

Brock Seguin: They’re a team that has struggled at 5v5 all season. They’ve had a hard time generating offense at 5v5. Early in the year, the power play was among the most lethal in the NHL, and that just has fallen off a little bit. They’ve struggled on the power play as of late. They aren’t scoring enough goals at 5v5, so when the power play does dry up, they’re basically not scoring anything.

So it’s up to John Gibson to stand on his head and win them games right now. And he’s done that more often than not. He laid an egg against the Bruins. But yeah, there’s just not enough 5v5 offense.

We just got word that Larkin’s going to be a game-time decision tomorrow, so that’s huge. But the Senators are starting James Reimer tonight, saving Ullmark for tomorrow.

So yeah, I don’t know. It’s a tough time to be a Red Wings fan again.