- need responsible, smart, team minutes from him - Lalonde on Czarnik

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

We dont close quick enough in the corners and we dont support second layer support quick enough, Perron said. I think it starts way before that. It starts on our forecheck. The lack of forecheck, the lack of team game that we have at times feels like it puts so much pressure on our neutral zone and our defensive zone coverage. We let teams skate right through from their hash marks all the way into our zone. After a while, any team if you spend enough time in the D-zone, theyll find a way to make you pay.

The Red Wings will try to end the slide tonight at home against Arizona (7 p.m., Bally Sports Detroit), who beat them 4-0 last Friday.

The Red Wings are allowing 3.35 goals per game. Thats exactly how they finished the 2022-23 season.

Patrick Kane spoke to the way his team has been scrambling to defend.

I think weve been struggling to kill plays, Kane said. When you struggle to kill plays, they have the puck more. Thats when the confusion starts. I think if we can get a kill right away and get the puck and start moving and have the puck in our hands, its obviously better for us. If not, weve just got to stay within the structure in the D-zone.

Moritz Seider what was working well not too long ago.

We didnt allow as many shots from up top, Seider said. We were gritty around our net and our arrivals were on point, that means we werent allowing any pull-ups from the D from the forwards hitting their late guys. We were in the right spots. Thats something thats slipped. Were giving up too many easy looks for the opponent and some very dangerous odd-man attacks. Thats something we have to correct.

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Let's just start with both defensemen NOT going behind the net at the same time

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Lalonde felt this was a good time for Sprong to get a breather, although there were other candidates.

"Our team defense on the whole, probably (there are) three or four guys on the wings that can be a little more responsible with their (defensive) play," Lalonde said. "He was the guy for a little reset."

In 65 games, Sprong has 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points, but the defensive issues have been a problem during the season. It was largely the reason Seattle chose not to re-sign Sprong last summer, which enabled Sprong to sign a one-year free-agent contract with the Wings.

What Czarnik (5-foot-9, 167 pounds) lacks in size, he makes up for in his sound approach to the game.

"He's smart and he thinks it through," Lalonde said. "If he was 6-foot-3 he'd be an everyday NHL guy. He's at the part of his career where he's an up-and-down (player). We need some minutes from him, some responsible and smart minutes, and team minutes.

"Hopefully he'll give us that. We haven't handled the (Dylan) Larkin injuries well all year and we're looking for some answers here. It gives us some reliable minutes up the middle and takes some pressure off."...

The frustration isn't necessarily a bad thing, forward Patrick Kane said, as long as a team uses it correctly.

"I'd be more worried if we were walking around here all smiles, happy and like everything's OK," Kane said. "Its good to get a little frustrated as long as you harness it in the right way. Frustration can create a lot of positive energy as well, whether its practicing like you play, or just playing harder."

With only 17 games left in the regular season, and the Wings tied for the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, players realize there isn't much room for error.

"It just comes down to really coming together as a team," defenseman Moritz Seider said. "Use that hopefully as positive momentum going into the last stretch of the season, and hopefully make it a good run."

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