The new coach of the Red Wings knows after the first game which direction he should take

DETROIT – A coaching change can help strengthen a team. Ultimately, it’s up to the players to buy in and execute.

A new voice behind the bench produced no different results for the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. The 5-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs extended their losing streak to four and landed them in last place with Buffalo in the Eastern Conference.

The Red Wings had the same problems in Todd McLellan’s debut as they did most of the season under Derek Lalonde. They have allowed four or more goals and seven of eight goals in five straight games. They had gone scoreless 161-36 before Lucas Raymond scored on a power play in the third period.

“I would say the majority of the responsibility lies with the players individually,” Ben Chiarot said. “We all need to perform better, maybe even get out of our comfort zone a little, do something we don’t normally do, play a slightly different style when things aren’t going well.”

“You can have the best coach ever there, but if the guys aren’t willing to do it or commit to it, it doesn’t matter. So it’s up to the guys in the room.”

McLellan described himself as “a little rusty,” having not coached a game in almost 11 months.

“For Trent (new assistant coach Yawney) and I to get in touch with the group, we have to somehow figure out how the bench reacts to certain situations, at what emotional level, how the team plays at a certain pace… when you don’t “When you’re on the bench you forget how fast it really is,” McLellan said. “So the game moved quickly for me and that’s because I’m as rusty as can be. But overall I found it exciting to be there again. But we still have a lot to do.”

At least the effort was better than in the last two games. McLellan didn’t have much time to work with the team – just a meeting and a quick morning skate before the game. It will take time to implement his system and approach.

“A complete change of voice behind the bench, that’s a lot for one match day,” said Chiarot. “How organized or how we looked was maybe a little out of sorts, which is understandable. But the most important thing is that the energy of the team and the team spirit are right. You can do a lot of things with this. You can make a lot of changes if the guys are invested and interested. And I think this group is it.”

McLellan said the game serves as a guide for the direction he wants to take.

“Now we know where we will start tomorrow in training,” he said. “Some of our entry coverage, some of the D-zone parts of the play need to be fixed. I think the penalty shootout has been obvious for a while now, but that’s what happens when the team isn’t playing really well. Half the group says we need to be better offensively… but then there’s the defensive side. We have to choose one and go after it. And for me that’s more defensive.”

Chiarot said it felt completely different on the bench.

“Todd told us a lot about what he wanted to see,” Chiarot said. “It’s just going to accelerate the message he’s trying to get across and accelerate the way we’re supposed to play.”

Raymond said: “I was sure we had a different jump, which was a good feeling. Of course, losing 5-2 is never fun, but it was a different feeling and something to build on.”