Red Wings-Islanders Tweetcap: Detroit gets smoked by the Islanders…again…

The Detroit Red Wings battled a plucky New York Islanders team on Thursday night, looking to earn a third straight win as the team navigates a jam-packed Atlantic Division.

The Wings also wanted to earn redemption after being embarrassed 7-2 on Long Island earlier this season, but Patrick Roy’s Islanders wouldn’t go down easily.

At Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings dropped a particularly frustrating game, losing 5-0 to Roy’s Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Hockey Robots (if you will) thanks to a terrible 1st period, a terrible 2nd period, more mediocre goaltending by John Gibson (who, fairly or unfairly, had 3 goals either tipped by or knuckle-pucked by him), terrible defensive play in front of the Wings’ goaltender, and in general, terrible preparation and readiness for the plucky Islanders team.

Oh, and awful attention to detail on the Wings’ behalf, too.

This game may have been arguably worse in terms of the way in which the Wings were shell-shocked by the Isles than the earlier 7-2 loss, and the teams meet again on December 16th at LCA, so it will be interesting to see how Detroit prepares for that one.

On the Isles’ side, Calum Ritchie, Max Shabanov (2), Mat Barzal and Bo Horvat scored goals, Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 Red Wings shots in the shutout…

And the Isles had 3 power plays and 8:00 of PP time to a measly single power play for Detroit, but I’m telling you that because I’m a little bitter.

Gibson stopped 22 of 27 shots, and the Wings finished at -25, which is very bad.

PREGAME: John Gibson and Ilya Sorokin led their respective teams out onto the ice at LCA:

The Islanders aren’t big on posting their lineup, so we’ll rely on Newsday’s Andrew Gross for the Isles’ lines…

And the Red Wings posted their lineup close to game time:

1ST PERIOD:

The teams dressed the following starters and lineups:

J.T. Compher opened the game’s scoring chances with a fine back-door play on Ilya Sorokin, set up by Patrick Kane, but Compher’s net-front jam was repelled by Sorokin.

PENALTY: J.T. Compher broke Simon Holmstrom’s stick, and he sat for slashing at 3:35 of the 1st period.

GOAL: The Islanders didn’t score on their power play, but a horrific line change by the Red Wings afforded the Isles a 2-on-1 in which Max Shabanov sent the puck to Calum Ritchie on the left wing, and Ritchie shot the puck through Gibson at 6:46 of the 1st period.

New York 1, Detroit 0: Ritchie (2) from Shabanov (3) at 6:46 1st.

Dylan Larkin and the Wings then pushed back, with Larkin hitting the goalpost 8:30 into the 1st…

PENALTY: The Wings’ nightmare period continued as Simon Edvinsson sat for interference on Kyle Palmieri at 11:27.

GOAL: Again, the Wings killed the penalty, but the Islanders won oodles of faceoffs in Detroit’s zone, and off an offensive zone draw, Max Shabanov blasted a shot through traffic and Gibson at 14:53, from Cizikas and Ritchie.

New York 2, Detroit 0: Shabanov (2) from Cizikas (3) and RItchie (1) at 14:53 1st.

PENALTIES: With 1:03 remaining in the 1st period, Emil Heineman tripped Moritz Seider, but Seider was called for “unsportsmanlike embellishment,” yielding a 4 on 4.

Kyle Palmieri hit the goalpost over John Gibson’s shoulder before the first period ended.

2ND PERIOD:

After the 4-on-4 expired, Lucas Raymond RACED in all ALONE vs. Sorokin, but the Islanders’ goaltender made a tremendous stop.

GOAL: Sadly, Travis Hamonic made a bad pass up the right wing side, both Johanson and Kasper goofed the puck up, and Casey Cizikas sent the puck to Mat Barzal, who chipped the puck off Marco Kasper and down beneath Gibson’s glove at 3:19 2nd period.

New York 3, Detroit 0: Barzal (6) from Cizikas (4) at 3:19 2nd period.

GOAL: Then the Red wings lost a faceoff, Emil Heineman went right back to Ryan Pulock, Pulock fed an open Horvat and the puck was swept into the goal off Albert Johansson’s stick blade at 5:04 of the 2nd period.

New York 4, Detroit 0: Horvat (14) from Pulock (9) and Heineman (6) at 5:04 of the 2nd period.

Detroit understandably shook up its lines toward the halfway point of regulation time, with DeBrincat and Kane being reunited with J.T. Compher at center, and Emmitt Finnie joining Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond.

The Red Wings’ fourth line generated some fine opportunities for Moritz Seider, whose shots were both blockered away and gloved away by Sorokin around 11:45 into the 2nd…

PENALTY: Ben Chiarot then took a double-minor for high-sticking at 12:27 of the 2nd period, clipping Matthew Schaefer on accident.

Detroit killed the penalty and did so very well…But…

PENALTY: Marco Kasper was also assessed a 10-minute misconduct for no good reason–as Adam Boqvist held Kasper’s stick and tied #92 up all the way down the ice–at 18:31 of the 2nd.

3RD PERIOD:

The Red Wings were probably not going to pull off a miraculous comeback, but their 3rd period would afford them the ability to generate some momentum for Saturday’s matinee against Columbus.

Disappointingly, Ilya Sorokin stopped Nate Danielson on a Emmitt Finnie-set breakaway with his blocker…

GOAL: To add to the humiliation, Max Shabanov walked through both Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson and he deked his way through John Gibson, too. Shabanov scored from Cizikas at 6:52 of the 3rd period.

New York 5, Detroit 0: Shabanov (3) from Cizikas (5) at 6:52 of the 3rd period.

PENALTIES: An inevitable scrum of some violence took place at 9:04 of the 3rd period, and Detroit earned its first power play, but not before Mason Appleton got a split lip that went undetected:

NYI: Scott Mayfield 2 for roughing, 2 for interference, and a 10-minute misconduct;

Detroit: Ben Chiarot 2 for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct.

Detroit did not score on the power play.

With about 4:15 remaining, John Gibson (on Bo Horvat) and Ilya Sorokin (on Patrick Kane) traded spectacular stops…

FIGHT: After Marco Kasper hit Shabanov from behind, Tony DeAngelo challenged Kasper to a fight, and they went, with Kasper popping one real good punch in on DeAngelo at 18:21.

PENALTIES: DeAngelo gets 5 for fighting, Kasper gets 5 for fighting at 18:21 3rd period.

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!