“Difficult Film” highlighted the Red Wings’ problems on penalty kills

DETROIT – In the spirit of Halloween, the Detroit Red Wings gathered before practice Friday to watch a terrifying video of their penalty kill.

It was an early game problem that was exploited on Thursday when New Jersey scored three power play goals that the Red Wings overcame to win 5-3. That’s the focus ahead of Saturday’s game in Buffalo (1 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network).

“We were missing some details. It was a tough video today,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “At the beginning of the year we are still in a situation where we have to solve a problem. I wouldn’t say disturbing, but there were some bad trends with simple details and reliable guys.

“It’s a bit in between, so you lack confidence. You spin a little bit slowly, you miss the goal, you miss the faceoff, and if the ball still goes in the net, it goes in the net. (The meeting) was a bit of a reset in some of the details and a bit of attitude. Look no further than the urgency we had on two penalty kills in the last two games to win the hockey game. We probably need it a little more all the time.”

Ben Chiarot said: “Structure, desperation, detail, clearing the ball when we have the puck, being in the right places when we don’t” have to be better.

The Red Wings (4-3-0) rank next to last in the league in penalty kill percentage (nine goals allowed on 24 chances, 62.5%). They won three in a row thanks to strong five-on-five play (no goals were scored in the last eight periods) and, most of all, thanks to the goaltending (they were outscored 97-44 in that period).

But it’s not permanent. They need to improve the effectiveness of the penalty kick.

“It’s frustrating to talk about it and then not do it,” Lalonde said. “Three (matches) in four (days), we don’t have a chance to do it again. We’d love to do it again when the opportunity arises next week.”

It didn’t help that the Red Wings were without a pair of penalty-killing forwards in JT Compher and Tyler Motte on Thursday. Dylan Larkin stated that the execution still needs improvement.

“We’re giving the puck too much to their best players,” Larkin said. “We give them too much time. As a power play player, you like to play the puck and it’s amazing how those chances can impact your game and make you feel good.

They also take too much punishment at the wrong time, he said.

“There are penalties that can kill you, but there are also those that completely change the dynamic,” Larkin said. “But above all, enforcement, lack of permits and running on our routes. We need to find a rhythm and maintain some consistency.

Line-up changes?

Compher (flu) missed skating for the second day in a row, but Lalonde said he would be able to skate on Saturday. If he is unable to play, they will re-dress 11 forwards and seven defenders.

Motte (upper body injury) missed three games and will be out for at least the weekend (they host Edmonton on Sunday). He started skating on his own.

Alex Lyon will start in goal.