Red Wings-Penguins quick take, back-to-back version: Husso, underdog Wings pull off the upset

The Detroit Red Wings sent a particularly patchwork-y lineup to Pittsburgh to battle a Penguins team stocked with NHL stars on Tuesday night.

The Wings dropped a pair of games on Monday–with their “A Team” losing to an under-powered-but-loose Penguins team 5-1, and the “Wiffins” dropping a 4-3 overtime decision to Buffalo.

On Tuesday evening, the Penguins and Red Wings took to the ice at PPG Paints Arena on a “Bring Your Dog to the Game” game, and the underdogs ended up taking the win.

Surprisingly, Ville Husso made a tremendous 43 stops (and he received help from a couple of goalposts), Detroit killed 5 Penguins power plays, and the Wings received goals from Amadeus Lombardi on a gorgeous deke-and-dangle via Hunter Johannes to tie the game at 1 in the 2nd, and late in the 3rd, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard found Nate Danielson at the Pens’ blueline off a terrible Pittsburgh change, and Danielson roared in and scored a breakaway marker at 17:11 to make it 2-1.

The Wings held on through a late Pittsburgh power play, and the “non-game-day players” ended up leaving the fans (and dogs) in attendance booing and howling as they emerged victorious.

The Penguins definitely lined up a close-to-NHL-caliber roster…

While the Red Wings’ “non-game-day players” were, well, non-game-day players, for the most part:

Motte, Veleno and Watson vs. Crosby. I’m sure everything will be fine. Husso in goal the whole way vs. Tristan Jarry. Seems good?

In the 1st period, the Red Wings parried the Crosby line’s first rush, and Kris Letang took out Tyler Motte, yielding a penalty at 28 seconds.

Veleno, Danielson, Soderblom, Wallinder and Brandsegg-Nygard constituted the first PP unit, and they struggled to set up in the Penguins’ zone and retain possession…

So Dries, Hanas, Lombardi, Tuomisto and Chiasson took to the ice as the 2nd unit, and they were also not apt to set up in the offensive zone and fire pucks on goal.

So Eemil Viro got a rush shot off as the PP expired, and that was that.

Ville Husso then had to stop Evgeni Malkin and Michael Bunting, no slouches, and Husso stopped those shots;

Elmer Soderblom looked a little rougher and readier to forecheck, which was good to see;

Antti Tuomisto remains somewhat heavy-footed, but if he works on his mobility, his status as a right-shot, physical shut-down D intrigues me;

Albert Johansson remained pretty smooth and sharp alongside Justin Holl;

But the Penguins got their cycle going as Detroit played let’s-clear-the-puck-and-try-again repeatedly.

Regrettably, one of those rushes involved Josiah Didier pulling down Michael Bunting, yielding a tripping penalty at 6:30 of the 1st.

On the PK, Detroit began with Veleno and Motte up front, and Johansson and Holl on defense, opposite Crosby, Rust, Letang, Malkin and Rackell.

That first unit got backed in, but Husso made a couple of good stops, including a sharp glove stop on Rust as the Pens’ 2und unit snuck out onto the ice.

The 2nd unit included William Wallinder and Eemil Viro on defense, Austin Watson and Nate Danielson up front, and a good amount of work ethic as the PK expired and Detroit emerged unscathed.

Both teams settled in around the 10-minute mark, but Evgeni Malkin got called for a tripping penalty at 10:12, affording Detroit a power play.

Detroit’s power play began with Wallinder quarterbacking Soderblom, Brandsegg-Nygard, Veleno and Danielson, and in all honesty, MBN looked pretty darn ready to deal with the bump-and-grind of AHL hockey, but his pace remains a bit “off.”

Chiasson, Lombardi, Dries, Tuomisto and Motte were unable to really get set up in the offensive zone, and so the power play was unable to generate a shot.

Malkin and Crosby stacked their lineup and Crosby made a beautiful lateral pass to Rust that was tipped away, Letang worked the blueline, and Pittsburgh put on a clinic until Husso made a big stop on Crosby’s backhand.

Josiah Didier took another hooking penalty at 13:52, and the Penguins’ power play went to work. Stocked and stacked against Motte, Dries, Wallinder and Tuomisto, Detroit “got walked” around and through quite a bit, but that’s not surprising.

Austin Watson honestly looked pretty solid as a PK’er despite his reputation as a scrapper, using an active stick to help Nate Danielson out, and Detroit killed the penalty.

As for Husso, well, “Always Look On the Bright Side of Life!”

Brandsegg-Nygard worked on a line with Soderblom and Lombardi–a strange little twist given that Amadeus is 5’10″…

And as Crosby deked past the Wings’ defense and broke away, Husso made a sharp 5-hole stop.

Nate Danielson seemed to have little to no luck in terms of his puck-handling. He was working with Cross Hanas on a “3rd line,” and as per usual this camp, the pucks went off his Bauer sticks really weirdly.

Tyler Motte also gave the Pens a bit of a scare by racing in on Jarry while negating an icing call late in the 1st…

And the 4th line of Bantle, Johannes and Lombardi was tasked with checking Crosby for a shift, and they did well.

Again, watching Brandsegg-Nygard, he’s more than willing to battle and scrap for the puck, but he still looks a little young and a little under-powered.

Ville Husso stopped 14 shots to Jarry’s 4 in the 1st period, which ended in an 0-0 tie.

Tyler Motte engaged in an intermission interview with Red Wings announcer Ken Daniels and color commentator Mickey Redmond, and he talked about his summer trip to Egypt with his wife’s family:

In the 2nd period, The Watson-Veleno-Motte line started the 2nd period, and they actually forechecked pretty well working alongside Holl and Johansson, who were quite physical when necessary–enough that Crosby was barking at the refs as the Pens cycled in Detroit’s zone.

Regrettably, the Penguins got the game’s first goal when Harrison Brunicke chipped the puck behind the goal for an uncovered Evgeni Malkin, he slid the puck out to Brunicke, and Husso stopped the first shot by Brunicke, but the rebound was retrieved by Rickard Rackell, who clanged the puck in off the goalpost 1:33 into the 2nd.

Pittsburgh led 1-0.

Thankfully, Amadeus Lombardi took a lateral pass from Hunter Johannes off the right wing half boards, he deked Matt Grzelcyk out of his hockey pants, and roofed a puck over Tristan Jarry at 2:48 of the 2nd period…

To tie the game at 1-1.

Then Austin Watson got clipped by a high stick from Grzelcyk, and he sat at 3:06.

The power play got to work with Danielson centering Soderblom and Brandsegg-Nygard, with Wallinder and Veleno working the points, and the first unit got very little done, so the 2nd unit hopped over the boards, and a late-lurking Elmer Soderblom got called for interference with 41 seconds left in the PP, at 4:25, affording the Pens 41 ticks of 4-on-4 time.

Soderblom should have gone off for a change.

The Pens’ Rust and Crosby really put on a clinic, but Husso was sharp, Detroit got some luck in terms of pucks that should have gone in, but went off the side of the net instead, and Detroit emerged unscathed.

Ken and Mickey were talking up Nate Danielson’s smart defensive plays, too, and they weren’t wrong. The kid has a deal with Bauer for his sticks, gloves and helmet, and he’s struggled with them, but he’s been bloody sharp instinctively.

Hanas came back to help Husso make a good stop at 7:45…and at the other end, Danielson fed Hanas for a smart slot shot that Jarry gobbled up off the turnover.

Danielson, Brandsegg-Nygard and Chiasson did a good job of cycling down low, but Danielson put a centering pass off the side of the net;

Austin Watson was doing a good job of forechecking, sealing a Penguin into his own end glass;

As the period progressed, the Penguins became more and more dominant in terms of possession and control in the offensive zone, however, and while Husso had very little traffic in front of him, #35 was making very good stops both from distance and in tight.

Mickey Redmond let it slip that Niklas Kronwall was on the road trip with the Wings, and has been “on the ice almost every day” with the team. Just an FYI.

Anyway, as the 2nd period began to wind down, the Pens continued to forecheck the snot out of the Wings, but Detroit had an effective counter-attack, and Watson was crashing and banging bodies very well on the forecheck.

Watson’s not gonna get an NHL contract, but if he wants to ride shotgun in GR, they’ll take him.

The Pens almost scored with about 1:45 remaining in the 2nd period, but the goalpost behind Ville Husso lent a hand.

Veleno made a fine outlet pass blindly from the right corner behind the goal for Watson with about 30 seconds left, but Watson was checked heavily.

That was the 2nd period.

In the 3rd period, which began at 8:54 PM, Veleno, Motte and Watson started with Johannes and Holl, and they were able to clear their zone after some effort once, twice, and then the team changed lines at 40 seconds of the 3rd…

At 50 seconds, Michael Bunting got a hooking call for hooking Cross Hanas, and Detroit’s power play got to work.

Veleno centered Danielson and Soderblom, with Brandsegg-Nygard working the flank with Wallinder.

There is no doubt in my mind that Brandsegg-Nygard can play in the AHL if the Red Wings want him to. I just don’t know if they don’t want him to have a more comfortable season in the SHL with Skelleftea beforehand.

Anyway, on the 2nd unit, Detroit worked the perimeter, Lombardi and Tuomisto played catch, Lombardi fed Chiasson who couldn’t drop it between the legs, and Tuomisto flubbed the puck, so Cody Glass got a shot off as the penalty expired.

After Husso made a good stop in the defensive zone, Motte headed the other way, stole the puck from the Pens’ D and jabbed a backhander in on Jarry that was stopped, and Watson registered his 8th hit.

Brandsegg-Nygard also made a really nice pass to Josiah Didier off a one-on-one battle at the blueline, affording Didier the ability to walk into a slap shot that Jarry stopped.

The Penguins almost scored some 5:58 ointo the 3rd as Kris Letang crashed the net, but Watson, who had just taken out 2 Pens with 1 hit at the Wings’ blueline, skated back to throw Letang away from Husso.

As the period progressed, the Penguins did do a better and better job of setting up in the Red Wings’ zone, and it was not easy to watch even the Veleno line struggle vs. Malkin and Crosby, but Didier made a great block with about 12:20 remaining in regulation, and the Wings went the other way, got a shot off on Jarry, and drew a penalty.

Harrison Brunicke sat at 7:55 for slashing on Brandsegg-Nygard’s hands, and the Red Wings’ PP got to work, with MBN blasting a heavy shot over the net, once, twice, and the Wings’ second unit wasn’t quite able to sort itself out, so the Penguins emerged from the PK unscathed.

Honestly, the Pens and Wings were tied in shots 5-5 at 10:39 of the 3rd, so kudos to the “C Team” for hanging on vs. the Pens’ “A Team.”

The Pens then got 4 shots off on Husso on a single shift in which the Danielson line was not elegant, but that’s okay. They’re learning.

Sadly, Eemil Viro took a penalty with 6:23 remaining–mostly because a Penguins forward tripped over Husso’s pad–and the Pens went back to the PP.

Husso got help from the goalpost, Crosby fed Rust for a stuff job that went wide, and Detroit cleared the zone;

Detroit continued to “sell out” by blocking passes and shots and getting some luck, and of course, the Wings killed the penalty! Of course, of course!

Austin Watson almost headed into double digits in hits vs. Brunicke, who Watson wanted to fight, but Brunicke declined the invitation.

Watching the Wings commit to blocking shots and passes and playing superb defensive hockey against a night in which the Penguins’ crowd went to the dogs–erm, brought their dogs…

WAS AS WONDERFUL AS NATE DANIELSON’s BREAKAWAY GOAL AT 17:11 to make it 2-1. Off a turnover from the Pens’ blueline off a TERRIBLE change by Pittsburgh.

2-1 Detroit, Danielson from Brandsegg-Nygard.

Husso made another couple of beautiful stops before the Pens got a power play after a LENGTHY 6-on-5 with 1:49 remaining in the 3rd.

William Walllinder sat at 18:11 for a trip on Rackell. It was inadvertent.

The Pens loaded up of course vs. Danielson, Motte, Johansson and Holl, the Pens got a shot off the post immediately from Rust, but Husso stopped Rackell’s second attempt, and Motte and Danielson ground the puck out of trouble and into the Pens’ zone before changing.

Watson, Motte, Holl and Johansson blocked a shot, Motte blocked a Malkin pass, Husso made an amazing snow angel save, and the REFEREE BLEW IT DEAD.

The power play rolled down to its final moments, Husso made more beautiful stops, the Red Wings played ugly hockey, and the game went to the dogs. The underdogs.

Statistics: Here are the Game Summary and Event Summary:

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!