Posts filed under “Game Reports”

Wings 1, Predators 4

Posted by on . No comments

Update (12:05 PM): Corrected a couple things in the Nyquist section. - Matt

Too Conservative: Both teams started out the game carefully, not taking a ton of risks. The Wings just took it too far and too long. There was a real lack of intensity for the first 30 minutes. Then the Wings had their best shift of the game to that point, with the Zetterberg line creating chances. But nothing came of it.

And the Predators came back to score in the next shift. After that, the Predators ramped it up a bit with the Wings already behind the 8-ball.

What Detroit should have done was thrown the conservative play concept out the window and been on the Predators from the start.

Rinne: I can’t go any further in this post without mentioning this ridiculous save by Pekka Rinne. There are a lot of times where I hear hoopla about a save some goalie made and I think, “Ah, that’s just luck—if the player’d gotten the puck an inch higher, now way he stops it with his stick like that.”

But in this case, I’m floored. Watch that play. Rinne’s invested in the scrum and probably can’t see 6 inches in front of his face, but there’s a point where he gets a small window that can’t show much more than Zetterberg’s stick. At that point, it clicks for him that he needs to get to his left now. So he stretches out and not only blocks the lower section of the net with his glove, he seems to actively take away real estate from Zetterberg’s shot by moving his glove toward Z’s stick.

That’s sick. And yet another reason why the Wings needed to be on top of the Predators from the start. If you concede a lead to that team, you’re up against a goalie that can do that.

Zetterberg: Once again probably the best Wing on the ice. He was able to fool Rinne on the Hudler goal and get him to commit to his side of the net. So that was cool.

Nyquist Watch: His TOI increased to 8:50. But he was still on the fourth line for all but three six of his shifts. The Three where he wasn’t on the fourth took place in the third period with Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen. As should have been the case all night. Two of the others were with Cleary and Abdelkader, and his final shift was with Miller and Emmerton.

Interesting note: his last shift on the fourth line ended with the Radulov goal. Where Nyquist was the last guy to take coverage on Radulov, who would then walk to the front of the net and score off the centering pass.

Correct me if I’m wrong, though: I think Radulov became Holmstrom’s man when he crossed into the slot. Nyquist was covering the pass along the boards. And Holmstrom just stood there while Radulov did his thing. Alternatively, Emmerton should have cut off the pass, which is what he was trying to do by his positioning.

Either way, it doesn’t seem like promoting Goose to the Datsyuk line was a punishment.

Jimmy: No chance on the goals. The Wings’ D hung him out to dry.

Stuart: Another one of his less than impressive performances. It’s really disappointing. He used to be one of the most reliable defensemen on the team and now he just seems out of touch.

Close Calls: The Wings did come close to sticking in the game, hitting the post at least once and just missing on a couple other great opportunities. So there’s that to take away from this one. It wasn’t all bad.

I’m just disappointed that they had a great need for increased urgency from the start and they just didn’t produce it. This was as much of a must-win game as they’ve had all season, their single biggest opportunity down the stretch here to take control of their own fate.

The Race: Now they’re dependent on the Predators losing at least once in order to regain the fourth seed. They can’t afford any more mistakes, or they really will fall to sixth.

And I’m not convinced that’s the best route to success: slipping to sixth because they can’t get their act together. I’d rather they fight to regain 4th or stay in 5th and head into the playoffs actually playing something resembling what used to be Red Wings hockey.

Wings 2, Blue Jackets 4

Posted by on . No comments

Should Have Seen This Coming: In retrospect, this was a likely outcome following the Wings’ public humiliation of the Jackets on Monday. Graham put it perfectly:

“The Blue Jackets, who despite their record and lack of talent are still a team of professional athletes with a lot of pride, were more determined to show that they didn’t like being embarrassed by Detroit on Monday night than the Wings were to repeat their performance.”

Exactly. That’s a trap the Wings fall into a lot. They may well have it together enough going forward to take care of business in the medium to long term, but this was a trap game for them.

Stuart: Doesn’t help when the guy you generally rely on to be the second-most steady defenseman on the team has an awful night. Stuart’s been awful lately and the timing of it coincides with the virtual confirmation that he’s not returning. I doubt it’s anything on purpose, but the guy might be a tad distracted. And it’s bleeding into his work.

Conklin: Let me preface what I’m about to say with this: I will grant that Stuart & Co. did Ty no favors last night. However, I’m embarrassed that I ever thought he might have found his game in the AHL. He looks like a goalie that’s lucky to make a save again. Again, he was hung out to dry, but on at least a couple of those, an NHL goalie has to make the save.

Conklin gets to start against Nashville. Sleep well tonight. (before this went to press, the news broke that Jordan Pearce was sent back to Grand Rapids. Which presumably means Jimmy Howard will be backing up tomorrow. Even if Conklin gets torched, I doubt we see Jimmy on the ice.)

The Road: The Wings need to avoid it at all costs. Which makes taking fourth place all the more crucial. Too bad they hurt their chances of taking it by failing to go up three points on Nashville. Fortunately, there’s just the one road game left.

But this issue is by far the biggest worry heading into the playoffs. Something for the coaching staff to correct, if they can.

Power Play: At least they’ve got that moving along. That’s a start.

Nyquist: Criminally underused in this game. 5:19 of ice time, all even strength. Two shifts in the third period. I get that it was a losing effort and that the received wisdom is to lean on more experience guys in those instances. And if Nyquist were a particularly green rookie, I’d be fine with that. However, he plays older than his years and there’s at least a decent argument to be made that he would have been much more of a help than a hindrance.

I get the idea behind switching in Franzen for Nyquist on the Datsyuk line, but it’s the kind of thing that works on paper rather than in reality. I stand by my theory that a Franzen-Datsyuk-Nyquist line would have been better. But I’m not the coach.

And though I’m also not the GM, I do say Nyquist should be sent down if he’s only going to get 5:00 a night. He would be better served playing top line minutes in the AHL than sitting on the bench so much here. I guess we’ll see what the plan is for tomorrow night.

Zetterberg: Continues to be the best guy in Red and White.

Filppula: Nearly had his head taken off by a Jack Johnson cross-check in the first period that went uncalled. And apparently unnoticed by the League.

The Race: The Predators’ inactivity meant the Wings maintained their lead in the Division. But they have to win tomorrow night against the Preds to keep that lead.

Wings 7, Blue Jackets 2

Posted by on . No comments

That Was Fun: A 7-goal outburst by the Wings is surefire fun, but this one was particularly so. You had sweet passing, Nyquist’s first goal, goalie demoralization and all around Big Red Machine dominance. It was awesome.

Nyquist: My favorite thing about the Nyquist goal is that he wasn’t fazed by Datsyuk’s set-up. This kid gets it. Which makes today’s practice news sad.

Here’s hoping there’s some rethinking of the lineup for tomorrow, with Babcock finding a way to keep Nyquist and Datsyuk together. I bet those two could get Johan Franzen going out of the gate. Sorry Todd.

Zetterberg: What an incredible game he had. All four of his assists were great and all four demonstrated his vision of the ice, which was stellar. It’s nights like that where you start to both understand the doubters and get angrier about them.

Holmstrom: Nearly got us fries with two goals coming on actual shots of the puck that he initiated. It’s strange, because I’ve seen some grumbling about his play lately (and done some myself) and then he whips this game out. Obviously, Zetterberg had a lot to do with it, but Homer still has value. If only on the power play.

Power Play: Speaking of that. Two power play goals. That has the Wings’ PP humming along at 25% over the last four games. It doesn’t make up for their other PP work over the year, but it’s nice to see them clicking more frequently now.

Conklin: Couldn’t hold on for the shutout. Of course, the first goal was a defensive breakdown. But the second was all him. Still digging for his game. Unless this is his game. Which is probably true.

Negativity: There’s not much in this game. But I have to point out that when they let off the offensive gas, it did not come with a corresponding tightening of the defensive holes. It’s fine that they didn’t gun all night, but I could stand to see a little more focus on the defensive side in the latter stages of the game.

They tightened up after the Jackets scored, but they’d already gotten through. With that kind of lead, it made no difference at all, so it’s nitpicking. But if they’re going to put on an offensive clinic, why not put on a defensive one too?

The Race: The two points put them one up on the Predators again. Nashville is in St. Louis tonight for a game you wish could end undecided. The Wings just need to take care of business again tomorrow and go into the game Friday ready to create some more separation. That much is in their hands.

Wings 5, Hurricanes 4

Posted by on . No comments

Skid Over: It wasn’t pretty at times, but the Wings finally got their win, bringing the skid to an end at six games. There was enough positive in this one on top of the win to think they may have a streak in them next.

Nick: Nick both was and wasn’t one of those positives. He was in that his presence in the lineup was an obvious plus from a morale perspective. He wasn’t in that he was definitely a bit rusty. He started shaking off that rust as the game went on, however, so there’s no reason to believe he’ll continue to make the kind of misjudgment that led to the LaRose goal. He was a big part of the comeback, manning the blueline in the offensive zone like a boss and creating scoring chances.

Zetterberg: Carried the team on his back for swathes of the game. The Wings weren’t playing badly per se, but they were down due to some freak opportunity capitalization by the Canes. Zetterberg assessed the situation and started taking care of business. It was great to see. And every time he does that, I’m reminded of all the folks who doubted him.

Hudler: Had a strong game from a scoring chance perspective. Finally scored on one of them in the third. He could have had a hat trick, though.

Kindl: The other injury return. I didn’t notice him.

Holmstrom: Homer pushes the envelope as part of his game-to-game job. There’s no denying that. So I don’t expect much outside sympathy for what follows. But that goaltender interference penalty was a steaming pile of bull. When a defenseman cross-checks a forward into his own goalie, that forward shouldn’t get hit with a penalty. That’s basic hockey rules. I guess the ref nailed Homer on the qualification that he had to make a “reasonable effort” to avoid Ward. Which is weak.

Nyquist: I saw some commentary that because Nyquist hasn’t taken advantage of the chances he himself is creating, the commentators are losing faith. That’s asinine. Nyquist is going to be a force, but he’s still young. He’s younger than Pavel Datsyuk was when he entered the League full-time, for example. Yet he’s being held to that standard by some. Lame.

He was very good last night.

The Race: The win kept the Wings a point ahead of the Predators, who won at home against the Jets. Now we face the awkward necessity to hope Chicago wins over the Predators tonight to keep the Wings in 4th.

Wings 1, Rangers 2 (OT)

Posted by on . No comments

More Like It: If you think my negativity during this stretch has been about the losing, let me set the record straight. It’s not the losing that bothers me so much as how games are lost. That’s not to say I like losing, but there are losses and there are losses.

This was one of those losses I can stomach: the Wings played a hard-fought game, kept their legs moving and pursued the puck. That’s really the base level requirement I have for them as a fan: that they put in the effort that it takes to pay attention to detail. Most nights, a healthy Red Wings team that does that will win. Last night, they did it and were not healthy. And they lost. That’s okay, relative to the other losses in this skid, where they did not put in that level of effort.

This is the one loss in the skid that can fairly be attributed to being so shorthanded. They matched a conference leader blow for blow, went to overtime and were overmatched in the end. The same game with a roster not consisting of so many minor leaguers probably ends differently.

D-zone: That’s not to say the Wings were perfect. They were strongest in the offensive zone, but had some trouble in their own end with getting the puck out. But there’s where a depleted defense really stands out.

The Richards goal was inexcusable, no matter how depleted the D is, though. Coast to coast goals shouldn’t happen.

Conklin: Looks like he found his game down in the AHL, which is good news. If MacDonald ends up being out for the season with this back stuff, Conklin seems to be ready to step in.

Power Play: Only had the one chance, so there’s not a lot to read in that. Three shots, which isn’t terrible.

Janik: Set a career record for scoring chances. Of course, he didn’t score. As JJ noted, “it’s awful seeing a pass get to a wide-open Red Wings’ defenseman and realizing that guy’s wearing #37.”

Anyway, he was sent down today, so we may be getting Kindl or Lidstrom back this weekend.

Datsyuk: An off night from Pavel, which was disconcerting. Fortunately, Zetterberg kept at it.

Smith: Still has some work to do on his own-zone game, but he’s really confident in the offensive zone, which I love. Seriously, guys, it’s night and day difference between AHL Smith and NHL Smith.

The Race: Back in fourth, by a point. The Blues are still at 100 and finally play again today.

Next: They face a hot Hurricanes team and need to bring this effort to the rink. Time to end the skid.

Wings 3, Caps 5

Posted by on . No comments

Update (3:50 PM): Corrected headline. Had the score reversed like a moron. Sorry. - Matt

Uh, Bad Start: The Caps gave the Wings very little margin for error in that first period. The Wings looked to be in reasonable shape, but once they started making mistakes, they found there would be no forgiveness. Generally, for example, it is a bad idea to leave Alexander Ovechkin open in the slot. As they did on the first Washington goal. And even Mike Knuble has been known to score from the slot if left uncovered. Also, letting Ovechkin walk up the gut with impunity should be frowned upon in defensive circles.

Jimmy: Hung out to dry, for sure. Yet not his usual sharp self, either. Now we have an idea why.

Holmstrom: This dumb rock is embarrassed by his decision to throw a guy into the goalie on the Emmerton goal in the first period. Love you, Homer, but that was stupid.

Slew Foot: Google it and you should see the Caps’ fourth goal. But only if you’re not a ref—your vision will black out if you are.

Power Play: The Wings finally got a PPG. But the PP wasn’t particularly great the rest of the night. They’ve still got some work to do.

On the Board Again: The Bertuzzi goal sparked something in the Wings, as they looked more involved after that point. Unfortunately, they were too far behind the eight-ball by that point.

Smith: Still often has his baby D-man moments, but sprinkles in plenty of real NHLer moments, too. Last night was no exception.

Zetterberg: Stupid, stupid penalty. I’m still annoyed about it. He’s a leader on this team and has to be better than that, with the team in a position to tie it up. Dumb.

The Race: No points gained. That’s not good. They’re now sitting four points up on the Hawks, and could well slip into 6th. That may beat facing Nashville in the first round, but considering how close the Sharks are to overtaking the Stars, I’m not such a fan. The last thing this group needs is the mental crap that comes with San Jose, even if the Sharks are not the team they have been.

Wings 2, Sharks 3

Posted by on . One comment

I missed the first period and watched the second and third without taking notes. So just a couple thoughts before deferring to JJ and George.

Helm: Awkward collision at center possibly cost the Wings another forward injury. Gustav Nyquist set the Griffins’ rookie scoring record last night, but he may not have a chance to extend it. Helm will have an MRI done tomorrow.

Filppula: What a shot, eh? I like the new Valtteri Filppula.

Booo: I’m not sure there is a dumber-sounding in-arena set of fans in hockey. No other group boos when things simply don’t go the Sharks’ way. The Wings turn back a Sharks rush? Boo. The Wings touch up an icing? Boo. It’s stupid.

1 of 6: That’s how many points out of the possible that the Wings got on this trip. Unacceptable, injuries or not. They can now not make .500 on the road for the season. Thankfully, they just have three road games left. They’re going to need the benefit of the Joe to fight off the Predators’ advances thanks to their blowing it on the road the past four games. If I sound annoyed, it’s because I am. Anyway.

The Race: The Blues were the first team to hit 100 points with their win over the Lightning yesterday, putting them 8 points up with 9 games (for them, to the Wings’ 10) remaining. The Predators lost to the Kings and are now two points back.

As a side note, the Sharks’ win put them in 8th place, dropping the idle Coyotes out.

Other takes:JJ’s got his over at Winging It In Motown and George’s quick take is here at The Malik Report.