Detroit Red Wings HC delivers brutally honest take about Dylan Larkin's performance since 4 Nations break

Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan wasn't happy on Thursday after the Wings' 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was especially disappointed with captain Dylan Larkin’s performance.

Larkin, who received 16:44 minutes of ice time, struggled throughout the game, finishing with a -3 rating and one shot on goal. McLellan pointed out Larkin’s mistakes and hesitant decisions, as he expected more from his captain.

“I can’t beat around the bush — he was missing,” McLellan said. "He's a big boy. He can handle hearing that. He's going to hear it from me. Just a lot of mishandles, unsure plays that he usually makes."

McLellan didn't accept fatigue as an excuse. Larkin played four games for Team USA in the 4 Nations tournament, but McLellan said that it wasn't a reason for his struggles

"I'd like to think that the 4 Nations is so far past us already," he said. "We've had enough rest. I'm not using it as an excuse. I'm not even going to go there. We're playing big games. We need our big players to play big games, and we'll need more from not only him but some others."

Larkin’s struggles led to a rare demotion to the third line. His usual linemates, Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper, also had tough outings. McLellan made changes, but they didn't help.

Columbus took advantage of the Detroit Red Wings’s defensive mistakes, scoring on tip-ins and net-front plays. Goaltender Cam Talbot made key saves, preventing a bigger loss.

"The one guy that did a real good job in and around that area was Talbs. He made some incredible saves. The game could have been much worse than it was," McLellan said.

The Detroit Red Wings, now 30-23-6 with 66 points, are battling Columbus in the standings. Their rematch is an outdoor game at Ohio Stadium. Last season, the Red Wings were in a similar playoff spot but lost seven straight games. They cannot afford to repeat that again.

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Blue Jackets take down Detroit Red Wings 5-2 with four-goal second period

The Detroit Red Wings lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring 27 seconds into the second period before James van Riemsdyk tied it at 4:16.

Sean Kuraly put Columbus ahead at 9:43 before Kent Johnson tipped in a shot at 12:09 to extend the lead to 3-1. Van Riemsdyk struck again at 15:01, making it 4-1. J.T. Compher responded with a power-play goal at 16:39, but Kirill Marchenko sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:03.

Boone Jenner had three assists, Daniil Tarasov made 29 saves, while Cole Sillinger left with an injury.