The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton discusses the Red Wings’ 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in his traditional morning-after-the-game notebook, and I completely agree with Sam regarding Moritz Seider’s play of late, especially in end-of-game situations:
I’m not sure there’s been any aspect of Detroit’s game I’ve enjoyed watching lately more than Moritz Seider‘s play in five-on-six situations. The intensity with which he defended Alex Ovechkin to help close out McLellan’s first win with the Red Wings against the Capitals was mesmerizing.
There’s not a moment in any game where Seider shows compunction about sacrificing his body in the name of team defense, but that dynamic is even more pronounced in end-of-game five-on-six scrambles. Tying up sticks and asserting body position in front of the net, throwing a hit to knock the puck loose and get a clear, absorbing a hit to bleed away seconds along the way—Seider has become a weapon for Detroit to kill games.
Last night, it was Seider eliminating the threat of a loose puck just beyond the crease that won back possession for the Red Wings, eventually setting up Larkin’s empty-net goal that iced the game. It’s a small part of Seider’s overall play, but it’s an area where games are quite literally won and lost and one where he has continued to add major value for his team.
