Red Wings postgame: Go Greece Lightning!
By Tom Mitsos
6 years agoThe Detroit Red Wings started 2018 on the right foot, as they beat the visiting Ottawa Senators 2-1 in overtime Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena.
THE RUNDOWN
The Red Wings got off to a quick start, with seven shot attempts in the first three minutes before the Senators got their first one at the 3:27 mark.
From there, Ottawa slowly started to catch up, eventually passing Detroit around the halfway point of the first period.
About midway through the first period, the Red Wings broke the scoreless tie, as Andreas Athanasiou picked up an Anthony Mantha rebound and backhanded a shot past Craig Anderson for his seventh goal of the season.
The first period ended in a 1-1 tie, with the Senators outattempting the Red Wings 23-18 (24-19 at 5 on 5) and outshooting them 14-11 (13-11 at 5 on 5).
The second period was much of the same, as Ottawa grew its shot-attempt lead. Anderson and Jimmy Howard both came up big, making key saves for their respective teams.
In the second half of the second period, Mike Green took a holding penalty shortly after the Senators were called for too many men on the ice. The Senators were able to play keep away for nearly two minutes in order to give themselves a longer power play.
It was a brilliant move by the Senators, but I was surprised by the lack of urgency from the Red Wings in touching the puck, especially considering the slim 1-0 lead at the time.
The Senators outattempted the Red Wings 17-14 (14-13 at 5 on 5) and were tied in shots 11-11 (Red Wings outshot Senators 10-9 at 5 on 5) in the second.
Within the first minute of the third period, the Senators tied the game after Darren Helm fumbled a pass in the slot, and Ryan Dzingel recovered the loose puck and beat Howard for his 10th goal of the season.
The Red Wings challenged for goalie interference, but the call on the ice stood.
About midway through the third period, a Dylan Larkin lob pass found Athanasiou, who was hooked on the shot, resulting in a penalty shot. However, Athanasiou got in too tight on Anderson, who made the save to keep it 1-1.
The third period ended tied 1-1. The Red Wings outattempted the Senators 20-19 (tied 19-19 at 5 on 5) and outshot them 12-9 (11-9 at 5 on 5) in the third.
The Red Wings, who have been egregious in the 3 on 3 overtime this season, needed just six seconds to get their first overtime win. Athanasiou deflected Erik Karlsson’s chip-in attempt and roofed a backhander on the ensuing breakaway.
THE STATS
The Red Wings enjoyed an early lead in the shot department, but the Senators woke up about midway through the first period and never relinquished the lead. For the game, the Senators outattempted the Red Wings 60-54 (57-51 at 5 on 5), but Detroit had the slight advantage in shots 35-34 (tied 32-32 at 5 on 5).
MOTOR CITY MVP
No doubt, it’s Athanasiou. He had two goals (including the overtime winner), four breakaways, one of which resulted in a penalty shot, and eight individual scoring chances (six at 5 on 5), according to Natural Stat Trick. Athanasiou was all over the ice Wednesday, and coach Jeff Blashill rewarded him with 17:52 of 5 on 5 ice time (19:31 total, second-highest forward to Henrik Zetterberg’s 19:42).
NEXT UP
Detroit hosts the Florida Panthers on Friday. The Panthers had their five-game winning streak snapped by Minnesota on Tuesday and are tied with the Red Wings at 39 points. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Detroit. As always, Brock Seguin will have the pregame report Friday afternoon.
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