WINGS POST-GAME: PLAYING WITH FIRE
By Nick Seguin
7 years ago
(Candice Ward – USA Today Sports)
In their first game since leading goal scorer Thomas Vanek was traded to the Florida Panthers, the Red Wings entered the Saddledome in Calgary to take on a red hot Flames team. The Wings were coming off an overtime victory against the Canucks and the Flames were looking to extend their league-best 5 game winning streak. The game proved to be a challenge for the struggling Red Wings, but they held their own in a 3-2 overtime defeat. Let’s break down how it all happened.
The Rundown
The first period was… not great. It got off to a good start, with Darren Helm netting his seventh goal of the season on a very sweet snipe from the top of the faceoff circle. But it went downhill almost immediately when Andreas Athanasiou took a double minor high-sticking penalty. Kris Versteeg scored on the powerplay almost immediately. From that point on, the Flames owned the period, outshooting the Wings 17-9 and taking the lead on a Matthew Tkachuk goal off a terrible giveaway by Niklas Kronwall.
The 2nd period was better for the Wings. They held the Flames to two shots while they took fourteen. Despite having back-to-back powerplays, the Wings were unable to convert and when the horn blew at the end of the period, the score was still 2-1 in favour of the Flames.
The 3rd wasn’t much more exciting. The Wings managed to still outshoot the Flames, but remained scoreless until 0.4 seconds left in the period. That’s right. 0.4 seconds.
Off to overtime they went and the Wings had a couple of good chances including a 3-on-1 with Athanasiou, Helm, and Mantha on the attack. They didn’t score, but it did contribute to a hilarious defensive sequence where Helm was so exhausted that he was literally keeled over and catching his breath while the play continued around him.
Ultimately, the game ended in the Flames’ favour. Mikael Baklund capitalized on a two-on-one opportunity, blasting the puck over the right shoulder of Mrazek. The Red Wings excitement of their dying seconds tying goal was cut short and the Flames extended their win streak to six games.
The Stats
Clearly, despite outshooting the Flames, the Red Wings did not control puck possession. At this point, this is pretty part for the course for the Wings. They rely heavily on their goaltending to keep them in games, which Mrazek did. They were outplayed heavily for the first period, especially. They had a strong finish, but it just wasn’t enough.
Motor City MVP
Tonight’s Motor City MVP is Darren Helm. Not only did he score his seventh goal of the season, Helm was all over the ice using his speed to drive the puck deep into the Flames zone. His all situations CF% was 52.5%. Also, Helm had us both terrified and laughing at how completely and utterly exhausted he was in the OT period.
Up Next
The Red Wings continue their Western Canada road trip with a game in Edmonton tomorrow against Connor McDavid and his Oilers squad. For all you Canadians, you’ll be able to catch the game on Hockey Night In Canada. And for the Americans, the game will of course be broadcast on FS-D. Puck drop is 10:00 P.M. EST and be sure to come back to Wings Nation tomorrow afternoon for Brock Seguin’s pre-game report.
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