The Detroit Red Wings lost a 2-1 overtime decision to the Arizona Coyotes that was controversial in nature, but the Red Wings’ 0-3-and-1 road trip record could not be denied, no could the fact that the Red Wings have lost 5 of their past 6 games (albeit the last in overtime).
The Red Wings wrap up their ugly stretch of 11 games played over the course of 17 evenings with an 4-6-and-1 record, which would be expected last year, but is not good enough this year–personnel and coaching concerns by the fan base included–and the Red Wings will finally be able to go back home and practice as the schedule lightens, and one of the league leaders in games played goes back to the pack.
Now the level of competition does not lighten up alongside the schedule as November turns to December, but Detroit (8-9-and-3) can at least push its way to .500 before Thanksgiving, and, as coach Blashill said on Bally Sports Detroit’s post-game interview with Trevor Thompson, the Wings will be able to practice and reestablish some good habits after playing 20 damn times in only 37 days.
That’s baffling, as baffling as the fact that this goal stood after Jakob Chychrun hacked Alex Nedeljkovic’s glove, and Phil Kessel pitchforked the Wings’ goalie to keep him at the lip of his crease:
The comeback is complete! @ClaytonKeller37 ends it in @EASPORTSNHL overtime. pic.twitter.com/dPsno1SomZ— NHL (@NHL) November 21, 2021
If you don’t win the game, however, you can only complain so much about its outcome, and the Red Wings did blow holding a 1-0 lead for 53:31 of regulation because the Red Wings also did not display a killer instinct against the Coyotes.
Instead of capitalizing on their opportunities, the Wings went 0-for-2 on the power play, and after out-shooting Arizona 16-6 in the 2nd period and 24-14 over two periods of play, Arizona out-shot Detroit 15-10 the rest of the way.
Long story long, the Coyotes earned the win, even if the Red Wings did not deserve the result, as ArizonaCoyotes.com’s recap noted:
Clayton Keller scored his third career overtime goal as the Coyotes came back to defeat the Red Wings 2-1 on Saturday at Gila River Arena on Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Arizona trailed 1-0 heading into the third period, but goals from Ryan Dzingel and Keller in the final 20:25 cemented the comeback.
“I lost my grandfather to cancer, and I wouldn’t be here without him. It’s definitely a special win,” said Keller.
Detroit scored first when Dylan Larkin grabbed a loose puck and scored on a breakaway 8:41 into the game. Neither team could find the back of the net through the rest of the first period as Larkin’s goal would be the only scoring the game saw for the majority of the action.
The scarce scoring carried over into the second period and the 1-0 score remained after 40 minutes. Scott Wedgewood, who finished with 33 total saves, rejected all 16 Detroit second-period shots.
“I think the biggest key for me is just being consistent,” said Wedgewood. “I really think I’ve found my game and hit my spots, I guess like before. It obviously builds my own confidence.”
Arizona peppered Alex Nedeljkovic with nine shots in the first 13 minutes of the third period, including a handful of quality chances. The Coyotes finally beat him when Dzingel deflected a Cam Dineen shot from the point. The Yotes registered 13 total shots in the third but the 1-1 score held through regulation.
Just 25 seconds into the extra frame, Keller lit the lamp with Arizona’s first overtime winning goal on the campaign. The overtime win established a three-game point streak, as the Coyotes have captured four of a possible six points in that stretch.
As the Arizona Republic’s Jose M. Romero noted, the Yotes took the “Hockey Fights Cancer Night” theme to heart…
The offense that the Coyotes found in their previous game wasn’t there Saturday night against the Detroit Red Wings. But there was a dramatic late goal from Ryan Dzingel with 6:29 to play in the game.
And then, Clayton Keller’s overtime goal 25 seconds into the extra session to give the Coyotes a dramatic 2-1 win, their second in the past three games.
It was an emotional night for many, the annual Hockey Fights Cancer game. Keller was tearful after the game, talking about his grandfather who before he died of cancer was instrumental in Keller’s younger days in hockey. Keller pointed upward after his winning goal.
“Stuck with it. We got pucks to the net. We had the puck a lot in the third (period) and could have ended it before that (overtime),” Keller said. “Definitely good to see that one go in for sure.”
The Coyotes’ coch was happy with the way things turned out…
The Red Wings almost added to their lead when Vladislav Namestnikov hit the post with a shot with 2:04 left in the second. But the Coyotes killed two penalties and stayed within a goal despite no shots on goal for more than eight minutes.
Wedgewood ended up with 16 saves alone in the second period.
“We still have to battle really hard every day and we do. We have a group that doesn’t mind the work, don’t the grind,” Coyotes head coach André Tourigny said. “For sure it’s more fun when you get some results. We don’t get ahead of ourselves. We stay level. But it’s always more fun in the room when you have some smiles and some chirping going.”
And as the Coyotes raved about Alex Wedgewood’s resiliency to NHL.com’s Alan Robinson…
Wedgewood, who has made 75 saves in his past two games, needed on-ice medical attention during the second Red Wings power play when he was struck in his collarbone by a 95-mph Robby Fabbri shot, but stayed in the game.
“The group’s got some confidence right now, we’re getting some points and that’s huge for the group,” Wedgewood said.
The Coyotes were 0-9-1 when they claimed Wedgewood on waivers from the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 4, and he is 3-1-1 with a 2.04 goals-against average since joining them. He made 42 saves in Arizona’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Keller said. “He’s kept us in every single game. He’s playing amazing.”
The Red Wings expressed frustration all the way around, overtime goal against included:
“I liked our swagger starting the season, we played hard and we played confident, but this road trip we haven’t been confident, and you saw that tonight,” Larkin said. “With a one-goal lead [in the third period], we’ve got to be a more confident hockey team.”
Keller couldn’t score on his initial shot that deflected to Jakob Chychrun, whose follow-up attempt rebounded to an open Keller near the right post.
The goal was reviewed to determine if Phil Kessel hooked Nedeljkovic while the goalie was scrambling to defend against Keller, but was upheld. Keller has six goals in six games against Detroit.
“They all reviewed it and they felt differently, and I get it,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s not a black and white rule. There’s always going to be some discretion. But, in the end, we had a breakdown that led to that, and I’m more worried about the breakdown.”
Blashill continued while speaking with the Associated Press...
”We thought it was goalie interference, but that’s the way it goes,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. ”They reviewed it and they felt differently. I get it. It’s not a black-and-white rule. There’s some discretion. In the end, we had breakdown that led to that. You can’t leave things to chance.”
Dylan Larkin scored his ninth goal of the season for the Detroit Red Wings, who went winless on a four-game trip. Larkin has five goals in his last five games and six in his last seven. Lucas Raymond, who assisted on Larkin’s goal, is among the league leaders among rookies with 12 assists.
”When we have a lead, we just defend too much,” Larkin said.
Arizona has five points in its last three games, starting with a 3-2 victory in St. Louis on Tuesday.
”We have a group who don’t mind the work and don’t mind the grind,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. ”For sure, it is more fun when you get some results.”
The Wings felt that they could only blame themselves for the loss, and, as the AP notes, Detroit now sits 3 wins away from 3,000 as a franchise:
The Red Wings were 0 for 2 on the power play and did not get much sustained pressure in the third period, when the Coyotes carried the play and took 12 shots on Nedeljkovic.
”You have to find a way to score the next goal,” Blashill said. ”They pushed hard in the third. They were better than us in the third. We have to reset ourselves and find a way to play better.”
Larkin agreed with his coach while speaking with DetroitRedWings.com’s Brett McWethy…
“We gotta capitalize. We gotta find a way to score,” said captain Dylan Larkin. “We had a ton of chances. (Scott) Wedgewood played good, but we gotta find a way to score. Hit a couple posts, couple looks on the power play.
“But we just have to find a way to score, and when we get a lead late in games, we can’t panic. We can’t sit back and defend for 20 minutes. We gotta play some offense and play smart. We didn’t do that tonight and you can’t win games very much 1-0.”
Detroit opened the game’s scoring with 11:19 remaining in the first period, as Larkin capitalized on a loose puck near mid-ice. He secured possession following the scrum, and his left-handed shot beat Arizona goalie Scott Wedgewood to make the score 1-0.
The Red Wings won’t play again until Wednesday vs. St. Louis and Saturday against Buffalo, so they’ll have some time to head home, rest up, and practice. Until then…
Arizona’s Clayton Keller ended the game just 25 seconds into the extra session, scoring his fourth goal of the season to secure the Coyotes’ third win. The goal was reviewed for possible goalie interference, but was ultimately upheld upon review.
“You gotta find ways to grind out those kinda games to a win,” said Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill. “You know, we played good enough to win the hockey game, so it’s unfortunate to walk out not have won.
“Over a long period of time, you just gotta do it right. And if you do it right, and you defend more similar than what we defended tonight – you know, we created enough scoring chances to win, and I thought overall, we defended much better – you’re gonna find yourself to lots of wins.”
Larkin was a little more honest regarding the pair of penalties that should have negated the Coyotes’ overtime goal while speaking with the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan…
“I was standing right there and I thought Ned was going to scoop it up, and they popped it out,” forward Dylan Larkin said. “They looked at it and the game was over, so that’s the way it goes. Nothing more to say. Toronto (league officials) thought it was a good goal.”
It was a disappointing ending to the game, and a four-game road trip that saw the Wings go 0-3-1.
“You have to find ways to grind out those games like that to a win,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “We played good enough to win the hockey game, so it’s unfortunate to walk out and not have won.”
…
The Wings (8-9-3) have had a mildly successful start to this season, but there are still plenty of learning areas. And learning how to play with a lead, especially late in games, is one area where the Wings need to improve upon.
“When we get a lead late in the game we can’t panic and sit back and defend for 20 minutes,” Larkin said. “We have to play some offense and play smart and we didn’t do that. You can’t win games very much 1-0.”
The Wings lost a late lead against Columbus to begin this four-game trip, not being able to protect that advantage either.
“Both of them sting for sure,” Blashill said. “This one was a little different than Columbus, that was late and we had scored to go up. This one, we had a lead for a significant period of time and the biggest thing that hurt us is we have to continue to play and not give them much. We didn’t have enough sustained pressure.
“They had more pressure, double shifted the line with Keller and (Phil) Kessel and those guys, and they sustained a lot of pressure. It’s a learning process for group and at times we’ve done well, and this is a hard league and you have to continue to find ways to grow as a group.”
As Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen noted, there are two ways to look at this trip. one…
The Detroit Red Wings came into the road trip with optimism and came out of it with a realization that they have a long way to go before they figure out how to win consistently.
They couldn’t grow, or hold, a 1-0 lead against the NHL’s last place team. This is a team that is averaging 1.68 goals per game. The Red Wings allowed the Coyotes to tie the game on a third period goal and win in overtime on Clayton Keller’s goal.
They were 0-3-1 on this road trip. They were outscored 17-8. The Red Wings are now 3-7-1 on the road this season.
“We’ve got to find a way to play some good hockey before Christmas,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said.
And two…
The Red Wings only play two games next week, offering the team a chance to practice more than they have this month.
Their next game is Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. The Coyotes beat the Blues 3-2 last Tuesday.
“We can write whatever story we want to write,” Blashill said. “We gotta decide what we want to be. It won’t be easy for sure. It’s a lot of games. I think we had it at 20 games in 37 days. That’s a lot of games and not very much time, especially for young players where this league’s really hard every single night. Let’s get back home, let’s get a good practice, let’s find a way Wednesday to have a good hockey game. There’s no saying that one’s gonna be easy. We just gotta keep building here and keep progressing as a group.”
Multimedia:
Highlights: Sportsnet posted an 8:16 highlight clip:
NHL.com posted a 9:10 highlight clip:
Post-game: The Coyotes posted post-game clips of Clayton Keller’s post-game comments…
“I lost my grandfather to cancer and I wouldn’t be here without him. It’s definitely a special win.”
? Clayton Keller on what tonight’s victory means to him on Hockey Fights Cancer night. pic.twitter.com/Su7VgOVCrC— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 21, 2021
As well as comments from Scott Wedgewood…
“You feel for the whole game of hockey and the world tonight.”
? Scott Wedgewood after tonight’s special win on Hockey Fights Cancer night. pic.twitter.com/Mtizolim3X— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 21, 2021
And coach Andre Tourigny:
“Having a night like this you think of those people, people who touch you and are important to you. It’s good to get the win.”
? Coach Tourigny talks about why tonight’s win on Hockey Fights Cancer night was extra special. pic.twitter.com/NUne30C014— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 21, 2021
Bally Sports Detroit posted a clip of Dylan Larkin’s post-game comments…
And coach Jeff Blashill spoke with Trevor Thompson after the game:
The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a 5:31 clip of both Larkin and Blashill’s post-game remarks…
And the Red Wings posted a 3:26 clip of comments from Larkin and Blashill:
Photos: The Free Press posted an 11-image gallery;
The Detroit News posted an 8-image gallery;
The Arizona Republic posted an 18-image gallery;
NHL.com posted a 38-image gallery.
Statistics: Here are the Game Summary and Event Summary (the scoresheet claims that both Coyotes goals were scored shorthanded, which is incorrect):
