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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:

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

Red Wings-Kraken Tweetcap: Danielson scores 1st goal as Detroit out-battles Kraken to 4-2 victory

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to sustain the momentum gained from their road win against the Rangers on Sunday as the team opened a 3-game home stand vs. the Seattle Kraken. Seattle was opening a 4-game road trip on a 2-0-and-1 streak.

At Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night, the Red Wings established a 2-game winning streak, defeating the Seattle Kraken 4-2.

The Kraken actually opened the scoring late in the first period as Jordan Eberle scored at 19:02 on a power play, but only 1:19 into the 2nd period, Lucas Raymond would tie the game as the plucky Kraken couldn’t stop a “Red Wings bounce” sneak through Joey Daccord…

Under a minute later, at 2:04, Nate Danielson would score his first NHL goal as the Red Wings would get another set of fortuitous bounces when Mason Appleton’s stick and then Danielson’s shin pad would tip pucks past Daccord…

And while the Kraken tied things up at 7:26 of the 2nd, when Ryker Evans blasted a goal through a screened Cam Talbot…

Detroit would score the go-ahead when Nate Danielson set up Emmitt Finnie at 10:56, on the power play, and after an up-and-down 3rd period, captain Dylan Larkin would score his 600th point on an empty-net maker at 19:30.

Cam Talbot stopped 20 of 22 shots, and Detroit went 1-for-2 in 3:19 of PP Time.

PREGAME: Cam Talbot and Joey Daccord led their respective teams out onto the ice…

Continue reading Red Wings-Kraken Tweetcap: Danielson scores 1st goal as Detroit out-battles Kraken to 4-2 victory

Red Wings-Rangers Tweetcap: DeBrincat, Raymond and Detroit out-duel Rangers’ Quick

The Detroit Red Wings had lost 4 of their past 5 games heading into a match-up with the New York Rangers on Sunday night, who were 7-3-and-1 in their past 12 games heading into Sunday night’s affair.

At Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, the Red Wings managed to defeat the New York Rangers 2-1, though there was a near-brawl at the end of the game…

Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring at 9:30 of the 2nd on a power play, scoring a gorgeous goal from Raymond and Kane, but Miikka Zibanejad would tie the game at 11:59 on the Rangers’ own power play–a borderline call on Moritz Seider for “delay of game”–and it took the Red Wings a 14-shot 3rd period to solve the tremendous Jonathan Quick, with Lucas Raymond finishing off the game at 16:13 of the 3rd from Larkin and Seider.

Quick stopped 40 shots for the Rangers, while Talbot stopped a sturdy 18 for the Red Wings, and Detroit went 1-for-6 on the PP and 1-for-2 on the PK.

PREGAME: Jonathan Quick and Cam Talbot led their respective teams out onto the ice at MSG:

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Red Wings-Sabres Tweetcap: Thompson, resilient Sabres help Wings blow a 4-1 lead, lose 5-4 in OT.

The Detroit Red Wings looked to build upon Thursday’s victory against the Anaheim Ducks as they hosted the struggling Buffalo Sabres and returning captain Rasmus Dahlin on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena, kicking off a stretch of back-to-back games for Detroit (who will play in New York against the Rangers tomorrow night).

On Saturday evening, well, I don’t know what to make of this one.

10:23 in, Patrick Kane scored from Ben Chiarot, but Alex Tuch scored an unassisted marker only 29 seconds later to make it 1-1…

Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin and DeBrincat (again) would score 3 goals in 4:58 to give Detroit a 4-1 lead, commanding, no less, at between 3:52 and 8:50 of the 2nd…

And as DeBrincat looked en route to a hat trick, the Wings fell apart.

Josh Doan scored 17:58 into the 2nd, Tage Thompson overpowered the Wings at 4:25 of the 3rd and deked and dangled his way into the slot to score on Gibson, Ryan McLeod stripped Moritz Seider of the puck at 9:28 of the 3rd while on the PK, and blazed in on a breakaway…

And in overtime, Thompson mauled Alex DeBrincat with a legal check, passed back to Martin Samuelsson, and he fired the OT winner home at 1:05 of OT.

Buffalo out-shot Detroit 13-8 in the 2nd and 1-0 in OT after being out-shot 20-13 over the first 40 minutes of the game, and I guess the dangerous Sabres earned their win–as Detroit earned its loss.

Now the Red Wings head to New York tomorrow to play the Rangers.

PREGAME: John Gibson and Colten Ellis led their respective teams out onto the ice at Little Caesars Arena:

Continue reading Red Wings-Sabres Tweetcap: Thompson, resilient Sabres help Wings blow a 4-1 lead, lose 5-4 in OT.

Red Wings-Ducks Tweetcap: Detroit defeats the Mucky Ducks, bit Gibson’s status is murky

The Detroit Red Wings emerged from a mini training camp (a.k.a. a 3-day break) facing the red-hot Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, with the Red Wings hoping to snap a 3-game losing streak.

At Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night, the Red Wings didn’t win easy, but they won a 6-3 decision over the Anaheim Ducks that felt more like a 4-3 victory.

Moritz Seider would open the scoring only 5:57 in, but Cutter Gauthier would tie the game at 7:35…

Michael Rasmussen would restore the lead at 12:42, but Chris Kreider would push back at 14:54…

Thankfully, Axel Sandin Pellikka would score at 15:33 of the 2nd, and the Ducks couldn’t deal with Alex DeBrincat’s “insurance” goal at 50 seconds of the 3rd period, even though Mikael Granlund would score past Cam Talbot…

Who had relieved John Gibson in goal after Gibson was tripped by Beckett Sennecke at the end of the 2nd period.

Ultimately, Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat (empty net) would score two more goals in the 3rd period, and Talbot would stop a superb 11 shots in relief of Gibson, who stopped 15 of 17…

But Gibson’s absence is worrisome given that the Wings play back-to-backs against Buffalo at home and the Rangers on the road this weekend, because both Sebastian Cossa and Michal Postava are injured in Grand Rapids.

We’ll find out more on Friday, obviously, but things could be really sketchy here in goal.

But, for one night, the Wings broke their 3-game winless streak, and they did so while taking a measure of revenge on the tremendously talented Ducks.

PREGAME: John Gibson and Lukas Dostal led their respective teams onto the ice at LCA…

Continue reading Red Wings-Ducks Tweetcap: Detroit defeats the Mucky Ducks, bit Gibson’s status is murky

Red Wings-Blackhawks Tweetcap: Bertuzzi’d

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to snap a 2-game losing streak as they hosted the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon. Chicago entered today’s game on a 2-game winning streak, and they boasted a 7-5-and-3 record.

At Little Caesars Arena, Detroit laid an egg on Sunday, losing 5-1 to a Chicago Blackhawks team that is, save Connor Bedard, no more talented than the Red Wings.

What was the difference? Arvid Soderblom stopped 44 of 45 shots, because he saw almost all of them;

Detroit’s power play went 0-for-4 in 10:00 of PP time;

Chicago’s power play went 3-for-3 in 1:19 of PP time;

And Wings alumnus Tyler Bertuzzi got under Detroit’s skin as the Red Wings tried to make the same plays over and over again at both even strength and with the man advantage.

Everybody is of course freaking out and suggesting that the Red Wings need to blow up the team or throw it into the Detroit River, but as far as I’m concerned…

Coach McLellan was right 3 losses ago. Detroit’s soft between the ears, and a team that can play with anyone is losing because it’s losing the mental game and it’s playing lazy hockey.

PREGAME: John Gibson and Arvid Soderblom led their respective teams out onto the ice at LCA…

Continue reading Red Wings-Blackhawks Tweetcap: Bertuzzi’d

Red Wings-Rangers Tweetcap: the Quick and the dead

The 9-and-5 Detroit Red Wings hoped to rebound from Tuesday’s loss to the Vegas Golden Knights by preying upon the struggling New York Rangers, whose 6-6-and-2 record included a 3-game-win-snapping 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Both teams had rested for three days, so neither team had an advantage in terms of rest, recuperation, or preparation for Friday night’s game.

At Little Caesars Arena, well…

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan doesn’t believe that the first game after a West Coast swing is a trap game, but in the Red Wings’ case, it’s still a trap game. Between Jonathan Quick’s bedeviling of the Red Wings, Artemi Panarin’s 3-point night and the Red Wings’ inability or unwillingness to play hard, fast, Red Wings hockey in front of a legion of alumni…

Detroit lost a 4-1 decision that was incredibly disappointing, and dropped the Wings to 9-and-6.

Will Cuylle opened the scoring only 6:46 into the 1st on a power play marker from Zibanejad and Panarin, and while J.T. Compher would score a glorious goal at 11:06 from Appleton and Copp to tie the game…

The Rangers scored 3 consecutive goals, at 4:52 (Noah Laba) of the 2nd period, and then 7:29 (Panarin) and 8:27 (Lafreniere) of the 3rd.

Patrick Kane’s inability to beat Quick and two Rangers defensemen when Quick went out to play the puck would loom large in the loss…

And the Wings just didn’t have the gas in the tank, the work ethic or the mental fortitude with which to out-skate a Rangers team that wins on the road and cannot win at home.

The Chicago Blackhawks come to town on Sunday, and if the Red Wings want to win the Blashill Reunion Game, they’re going to have to play a hell of a lot better and a hell of a lot smarter–and they’re going to have to take their opponent much more seriously.

Having dozens of alumni in the building with their Stanley Cup rings doesn’t mean that you’re going to be able to win easy.

PREGAME: Cam Talbot and Jonathan Quick led their respective teams out onto the ice at 6:30 PM…

Continue reading Red Wings-Rangers Tweetcap: the Quick and the dead

Health update

Hi, everybody. I wanted to let you know that I’m still recovering from this flu bug, but appear to be making some progress toward a return.

The last four weeks have been both fatiguing and incredibly physically painful. The pain has been almost too much to bear at times, and that’s why I’ve been gone for so long.

It’s incredibly frustrating to miss so much time, but when you’re in extreme discomfort, sometimes all you can do is rest and recover.

I miss you all and I miss covering hockey, and I will return as soon as this stupid body cooperates with me.

Thanks for reading.

Red Wings-Golden Knights Tweetcap: Detroit’s shut out despite Gibson’s best game as a Wing (thus far)

The NHL’s schedule-makers saved the Red Wings’ biggest challenge for last in terms of difficulty of opponent for the team’s 5-game road trip.

On Tuesday night, the Red Wings headed into T-Mobile Arena to battle the powerhouse Vegas Golden Knights, with the Red Wings hoping to earn 4 of a possible 6 wins while battling Jack Eichel and Vegas’ plucky hockey team.

On Tuesday evening, Detroit would not beat the Vegas Golden Knights, but John Gibson’s 32-save performance ensured that the Wings weren’t run out of the building, either.

Vegas would take a 1-0 lead at 13:45 of the 2nd period, with Ivan Barbashev scoring a gorgeous backhand goal over Gibson’s blocker side, but in a game that was full of pulls, tugs and holds and not many power plays (Detroit had 2; Vegas had 1), the Red Wings struggled to battle the layers with which Vegas defends, Akira Schmid deserves credit for the 24-save shutout, and Detroit was just both too indecisive in the offensive zone and too turnover-prone south of the offensive blueline in order to secure a victory.

The fact that Detroit only won 32% of their 69 faceoffs didn’t help, and the Wings’ few power plays were lackadaisical and involved too much lateral passing instead of north-south, net-front hockey.

So the Red Wings head home with 3 of 5 and 6 of a possible 10 points, and Detroit will host the New York Rangers on Friday night and Chicago on Sunday.

PREGAME: Akira Schmid and John Gibson led their respective teams onto the ice at T-Mobile Arena…

Continue reading Red Wings-Golden Knights Tweetcap: Detroit’s shut out despite Gibson’s best game as a Wing (thus far)

Red Wings-Sharks Tweetcap: Detroit prevails in a shootout over the plucky Sharks

The Detroit Red Wings attempted to rebound from their Friday night loss to the Anaheim Ducks when they headed upstate to tangle with the speedy, youthful San Jose Sharks on Sunday evening.

The speedy Sharks are the kind of team that can embarrass an opponent that looks past them, so Detroit had to be on its collective toes.

On Sunday night, the Sharks almost “San Jose’d” the Red Wings, who prevailed 3-2 in a shootout.

Lucas Raymond would open the scoring at 18:05 of the 1st, scoring from Axel Sandin Pellikka and Dylan Larkin, but only 49 seconds into the 2nd, San Jose was able to tie the game when Jeff Skinner scored;

10:16 into the 3rd, Detroit looked to pull ahead as Moritz Seider scored his first of the season from Simon Edvinsson and assist machine Alex DeBrincat (11 helpers), and between the Wings’ out-shooting the Sharks and out-everythinging them stats-wise, it appeared that the Sharks were getting worn down…

But the young, fast Sharks weren’t out of it. Will Smith took a puck off Albert Johansson, raced toward the net, put the puck off Cam Talbot’s toe, wrapped around the net and found Sam Dickinson in the slot, and Dickinson scored the game-tying goal with 3:05 remaining…

Overtime would solve nothing, and in the shootout, James van Riemsdyk was the only person who scored on Alex Nedeljkovic or Talbot, ensuring that the Wings got an extra point that nearly eluded them.

PREGAME: Alex Nedeljkovic and Cam Talbot led their respective teams onto the ice at the SAP Center:

Continue reading Red Wings-Sharks Tweetcap: Detroit prevails in a shootout over the plucky Sharks