Red Wings' ugly loss leaves stench on another disappointing season

But with or without Larkin, this wasn't a performance the Wings wanted to go into the offseason with.

"Horrible, there's really not much else to say about it," forward J.T. Compher said. "No one in that room should be anywhere near proud of waht happened on the ice.

"We didn't play like we had respect for the game. That was the result when you don't respect an opponent or anything in this league. That's what happens."

Said forward James van Riemsdyk: "We're representing our city, our organization, our fans, ourselves in here in the locker room. That's obviously not acceptable, the level we played at. It's definitely disappointing."

The Wings concluded the season losing six of seven games. With the season at its most important, they played some of their weakest hockey, including losing several games late when they appeared to be headed to overtime and chances to earn the full two points.

It all added up to missing the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season.

"When you're not consistent enough, you're going to find ways to beat yourself,” van Riemsdyk said. “So it's about finding that consistency to that level that we showed we could play at, and unfortunately, when you get down the stretch, the margins get tighter and when you're not giving yourself a chance game to game, shift to shift and period to period, you kind of roll the dice and leave the game up for chance."

Consistency was an issue with the Wings, especially the second half of the season. They only won eight of their final 24 games (8-12-4) and plummeted down the standings. Within the game, scoring at even strength, more defensive breakdowns, and streakier goaltending became issues.

"The consistency of all our details all over the ice need to be better every night," Compher said. “We have been in the position where every point and every single play throughout the year matters, and it was kind of the same thing this year."

General manager Steve Yzerman is expected to address the media at a later date. Yzerman's offseason is expected to be a busy one, what with holes among several spots among the forwards, and a need to find more offense.

Wednesday's night defeat showed plenty of surgery remains to be done on this roster.

tkulfan@detroitnews.com

@tkulfan

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Red Wings' loss leaves stench on another disappointing season