Misery continues for Detroit Red Wings' NHL-worst and historically bad penalty killing

As if having the worst penalty killing in the National Hockey League wasn't bad enough, the Detroit Red Wings currently have the worst penalty killing percentage in NHL history - literally.

Staying out of the penalty box is paramount to any success that they want to have, and that advice went unheeded in the first period of today's game at Little Caesars Arena against the visiting Vancouver Canucks.

Both Simon Edvinsson and Justin Holl were whistled within 45 seconds of one another, setting up a 5-on-3 opportunity for the Canucks with plenty of time to work with.

And like a broken record, the Red Wings were unable to keep the puck out of their own net while shorthanded.

First-year Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk scored twice inside of a minute, giving the Canucks a 2-1 lead. For DeBrusk, it was the first two goals of what would be a three-goal hat trick performance as part of a 5-4 overtime win.

As a whole, the penalty killing remains not only dead last of all 32 NHL clubs, but remains in a historically bad position.

At 66.2 percent, Detroit's penalty killing is worse than the NHL's all-time record set by the Los Angeles Kings in 1979-80.

If the Red Wings want any chance of breaking their lengthy postseason drought, which is the second longest in the NHL behind only that of the divisional foe Buffalo Sabres, they desperately need to figure out the penalty kill.