McLellan also highlighted the need for better individual execution if Detroit aims to prevent this current three-game losing streak from stretching any further.
“We have players that are very capable,” McLellan said. “We’ve seen it for long periods of time this year, where they really get the job done well. We’re going to have some ups and downs. There’s going to be some segments of our schedule where we’re not happy and nobody is happy. We’re probably in one of those right now. The tools exist in there. We expect the players to bring it. We can’t go back and wallow in what we did or didn’t do last night or the night before. The same thing is going on next door with Marco’s team. Put it behind you, come and play, clean a few things up individually and we’ll be okay.”
Sitting in fourth place – right above the Red Wings – in the Atlantic Division standings, the Bruins are also set to play their second game in as many days and are coming off a 6-2 loss on home ice to the New York Rangers on Friday.
David Pastrnak, who will miss his second game in a row on Saturday due to an undisclosed injury, leads Boston in scoring with 29 points (11 goals,18 assists) while Morgan Geekie is second with 24 points, including a club-high 18 goals.
And with netminder Joonas Korpisalo manning the crease against New York on Friday, Jeremy Swayman is set to start against the Red Wings. This season, Swayman is 16-10-6 with a 2.68 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in 16 appearances.
“They’re snakebit with losing individuals,” McLellan said about the Bruins. “I don’t know who’s going to play or not play for them tonight, but I know Marco [Sturm] really well. I consider him a great friend, and they’ve taken on his identity as a person and coach. You can see they bought into his belief system. There’s nothing tricked out about their game, other than that they play hard for a full 60 minutes. If you’re not prepared to meet that match, eventually they’ll get the best of you at some segment of a game. We better be engaged right from minute one all through minute 60.”
