The Detroit Red Wings desperately needed to find success in Sweden during the NHL Global Series. Detroit's schedule once coming home is rather brutal through the rest of the calendar year. And for a team with a somewhat legitimate shot at making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need all the points they can get. Unfortunately, Lucas Raymond and the Red Wings came away disappointed.

Detroit kicked off their slate of games in Sweden by losing to the Ottawa Senators in overtime. On Friday, it seemed as if the tide would turn. They entered the third period leading the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0. However, Detroit blew the lead before ultimately losing the game.

After the game, Raymond spoke about the loss to their Atlantic Division rival on Friday. And he was rather blunt in explaining his perspective on what led to his team's third-period collapse.

“I think we played really good the first two periods and then in the third I feel like we came out and played a bit scared, on our heels, and that’s when their offense starts to take over,” Raymond said, via NHL.com.

Raymond acknowledged the skill the Maple Leafs have on their roster. When you give that kind of team a ton of space to operate offensively, bad things can happen to your team. “It’s tough to analyze right after that, but that’s what I’m feeling,” the Red Wings forward said.

Detroit fell to 8-6-3 with their loss to the Maple Leafs. Toronto jumped ahead of the Winged Wheel in the standings as a result. The Maple Leafs are now third in the Atlantic Division, with Detroit behind them in fourth.

The Red Wings, for now, occupy the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. That said, Detroit clearly needs to get their act together if they have any desire to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024.