Three Things we learned from the Wings’ loss to Tampa Bay

The Red Wings lost last night 4-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, their second loss in as many meetings this season. There’s no shame in falling to a team like the Bolts, who’ve now picked up 10 wins in their 17 games this season.

However, there’s some clear lessons that can be learned from last night’s loss. Here’s three things we took away from yesterday’s result:

 

Sproul hasn’t been able to “click” yet with the Wings, having now played just 7 games with the big club. However, the 2011 draft pick showed last night his usage both at 5v5 (60 percent CF%) and his ability on the PP, chipping in a goal. If the Wings can’t find a regular spot for him this season, perhaps it’s time they ship him out of town for a player they’ll be able to make better usage of.

Though the Wings fell short, it’s hard to fault their effort or their performance in this one. A two-goal comeback in the third period really couldn’t be attributed to luck: the Wings pushed ahead for a 10-2 shot attempt run immediately following Tampa Bay’s third goal. 

Blashill’s lineup drew much chagrin yesterday when it was announced, for moves like putting Justin Abdelkader in the top-six, keeping Anthony Mantha on the third line and having Brendan Smith and Ryan Sproul on the third pairing. Though individual players may be compromised, the Wings had one of their best possession performances of the season and outshot the Lightning 28-22 last night.