Its because we're not an elite team - happens in all sports. When we were dripping with elite talent we could put in a half assed effort and still pull out a win. When you're in the middle of the pack talent wise like we are, its not always enough to play well.
To be fair, I thought most Wings fans had the team down as a solid playoff team on the periphery of a true contender. We took the cup finalists Tampa to 7 last season in a series we really should have won. The top six on paper really should be performing better than they actually have, our lack of goals so far this year are a bit of a mystery. We all knew the D was lacking but the addition of Green and the emergence of Marchenko as a solid Dman has improved that position without doubt. Larkin having an outstanding rookie season is remarkable because most here didn't think he would be even be in the roster at this stage, he's added another dimension to our offence and has probably been our most consistent performer.
Overall to say the team isn't 'elite' is a bit odd because who can you really say is 'elite' in the league this season? Dallas, Rangers and Montreal? They're about the only teams really performing to par this year, we've seen the Ducks, Tampa and Chicago all struggling this season and they were all down as certainties for the playoffs before the season started. Last night's game, and the games against Boston, Ottowa and St.Louis were bizarre for me because the team is a lot better than to be throwing away leads like they have, they are more than good enough to be finishing in the top 3 in the Atlantic IMO.