The Detroit Red Wings didn’t display many positive signs over the course of their 5-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, but, as MLive’s Ansar Khan notes, the break-out play of forward Givani Smith, who has struggled thus far, was indeed a good sign:
Givani Smith, whose struggles have caused him to be a healthy scratch in six games, played his best game of the season and was rewarded with his first point. He scored his team’s first goal at 10:19 of the second period, jamming in a loose puck. It cut Vegas’ lead to 2-1, providing brief momentum before the Golden Knights stretched the lead with a pair of goals in the final eight minutes of the period.
Smith also distracted goaltender Robin Lehner to facilitate Joe Veleno’s goal late in the third period.
“He’s a guy who can create a lot of havoc with his size and I thought tonight he did that,” Gagner said. “He got a goal in the paint, and that’s something we’ve talked about. We have to be able to get to the paint to score goals, and we got to be better defensively. I thought Smitty did his thing tonight. Hopefully something to build on.”
Continued; if Smith and Adam Erne can find some consistency to their games, the Red Wings would benefit greatly from their respective presences.
