As poorly as this season is going for the Detroit Red Wings, their defensive performances are especially disappointing.
The Wings had a scheduled day off Wednesday, and will return to practice Thursday in preparation for hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and Florida Panthers on Saturday.
An 8-2 loss Tuesday at the New York Islanders inflated the Wings’ goal differential to minus-81, more than double New Jersey’s second-worst minus-39.
The Wings are soundly at the bottom of the NHL standings at 12-32-3 with 27 points, 12 points behind 30th place Anaheim. That’s good for the draft lottery odds and a possible shot at drafting Alexis Lafreniere, the 6-foot-1, 196-pound winger considered the top prospect in the 2020 NHL draft.