Detroit — Maybe coach Derek Lalonde had an inkling of things to come after Tuesday’s morning skate.
Lalonde had been hearing too much about how well the Red Wings had played in a 3-0-2 start to this season, the fact they were the only left in the NHL without a regulation loss, and how good they were.
Lalonde several times mentioned “pump the brakes” about tempering down the early hype. The Wings had played well, but they weren’t unbeatable.
Sure enough, it’s as if Lalonde was prophetic.
There are no more teams without a regulation loss. Sure enough, the Devils came into Little Caesars Arena and defeated the Wings, 6-2, and did it pretty convincingly.
The Wings’ players certainly got the message, in case they needed it.
“We’re not the 1980 Russian team right now,” forward Andrew Copp said. “We’re in the process of becoming a team that wins a lot of games but there’s a lot of lessons to be learned that process.
“(Tuesday) was definitely a lesson we’re going to have to build from and understand there’s a certain type of game that when we don’t have our A-plus game, we have to have a pretty good B-plus game and be responsible and manage the game away from the puck and skate.
“We just didn’t do any of those things.”
BOX SCORE: Devils 6, Red Wings 2
Lalonde tried to calm the noise, as it were, after Tuesday’s morning skate.
“I had someone tell me (Tuesday morning) we’re the only team without a regulation loss,” Lalonde said. “I want to be like, ‘pump the brakes.’ Even analytically we’re an average five-on-five team. We need to improve. We’ve gotten outstanding goaltending, and our special teams to date have been very good.
“(But) we’re still a long way to go to be a top team or even be in the conversation of being a middle (of the) pack team in this league.”
Sure enough, Tuesday evening Lalonde’s words played themselves out.
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The Wings weren’t sharp and were outplayed by a team the Wings had defeated the second game of the season.
“It’s tough to say not ready because our first four or five minutes was a continuation from the other night where we were fast and crisp and we get the 1-0 lead,” Lalonde said. “Then, we just got away from our game. Turnover, turnover, slow and then we fueled them and now they get into transition and on pucks and beating us tor aces.
“This is a huge lesson. We’re not good enough to have lapses in our game to get away from us being successful. We gave ourselves a chance (in the third period) but would have been fools’ gold. We didn’t deserve to win this game in the end.”
Tuesday’s game began well enough.
Dylan Larkin scored just 2 minutes, 56 seconds into the game converting a centering pass from Dominik Kubalik.
Against a Devils team that the Wings played so well against in a victory during the opening weekend in New Jersey, you felt maybe the Wings were on their way to another positive evening.
Kubalik then scored his fourth goal and 10th point (in six games) at 8:17 of the third period, cutting the Devils lead to 4-2.
But in between, the Devils were a much better team (New Jersey outshot the Wings 41-22) and Nico Hischier’s goal at 15:38 of the third period gave the Devils the 5-2 lead they wouldn’t lose. Jesper Bratt scored his second goal to make it 6-2 less than a minute later.
“We had a good start and then we kind of let the game turn into a turnover fest and that’s the way they want to play,” Larkin said. “They’re good off transition and they turn over pucks too, but they made us pay on our turnovers. We were just sloppy with the puck all night.”
The Devils received goals from Dawson Mercer, Jack Hughes, Bratt (two goals, including a power play), Yegor Sharangovich (shorthanded), and Hischier.
The goals from Bratt and Sharangovich to begin the second period extended a 2-1 Devils lead. Bratt’s goal ended a perfect, 17-for-17 Wings’ streak on the penalty kill to open the season. Bratt one-timed a pass from Hughes, past goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic at 43 seconds of the second period.
Sharangovich made it 4-1 off a two-on-rush, shorthanded, beating Nedeljkovic from the dot at 4:54.
“The message on the bench (when the Wings were down 4-1) was we need to get one before the end of the period, and you saw what 4-2 did for us in the third period, it gave us a legit chance,” Lalonde said. “We almost got that third (goal) right after. But just managing the game and puck play, it was a complete opposite of how we looked the other day. Even our special teams weren’t sharp.
“It’s a huge lesson learned in that we are what we are, and if we play the right way, we can be successful. But we’re not that talented enough to lull our way through games and expect to get (positive) outcomes and that was the case tonight.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan