Nine days ago, the Detroit Red Wings were playing well enough to tie their season-high for goals in a 5-3 road win against the Florida Panthers.

In the four games played since then, the Red Wings have only managed to generate a total of five goals. The team doesn’t need a modern Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery of why they are on a four-game losing streak.

“I use the words offensive confidence,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “It’s as simple as that.”

Curiously, the Red Wings will be back in Florida again hoping to re-energize their offense. With their recent scoring slump, the Red Wings have fallen to 27th in the NHL in goals per game (2.58).

Red Wings Must Acquire a Scorer

Alex DeBrincat and Viktor Arvidsson show zero points in the four losses. DeBrincat only has three shots on goal in the past two losses.

“And offense isn’t about one player,” McLellan said. “It’s always at least two players. There’s somebody that has to give you some support.”

The recent offensive struggles add to the pressure Shawn Horcoff probably feels to land a scorer in a deal for Dylan Larkin. Marco Kasper‘s return from injury should help, regardless of whether he plays wing or center, on the second line or third line.

Carter Bear had two goals and two assists in a Grand Rapids Griffins matinee win against Rockford. That gives him 18 points in 13 AHL games. He probably needs to add muscle and play more minor league games, but his skill level may be hard to ignore if the Red Wings continue to struggle

The Red Wings don’t seem confident at the NHL level.

“I thought we gave the puck away (in the 3-2 loss at St. Louis),” McLellan said. “We broke out against the heavy forecheck early in the first. We got to the blue line and we just gave it back.”

Where did the confidence go?

Rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygard also hasn’t produced a point during the losing streak.

“It doesn’t come easy,” DeBrincat said. “We got to get around the net more and put them in. We’re trying to create our chances. It’s tough to create that confidence. We’ve got to find a way to be confident in ourselves.”