WINGS POSTGAME: Blown out in the Burgh
By Cameron Kuom
4 years agoFor some time now, the Red Wings have been keeping games relatively close. Through the long losing streaks 5-spots were normal for this team. Today’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins had a lot of those vibes, handing Detroit a 5-1 loss. And, once again, the second period proved to be the Red Wings demise.
So, Detroit has now dropped four straight — their entire road trip. They’ll head home to take on the Montreal Canadiens, the one team who doesn’t have their number.
Thoughts and Highlights
- The Red Wings opening goal came off a pretty three way passing play. Andreas Athanasiou created the zone entry, followed by a give-and-go exchange between Valtteri Filppula and Tyler Bertuzzi. Filppula finished the sequence off for his fifth goal of the season.
- The wheels started to fall off by the second period. The Penguins rattled off three goals to extend their lead to 5-1. Jeff Blashill pulled the plug on Jimmy Howard after Sidney Crosby potted Pittsburgh’s fourth goal on shot No. 16.
- To make matters worse, Filip Hronek exited the game at the halfway mark and did not return. Hronek took a point shot to the face and went down immediately. It appears the shot caught him on the visor, however, came with some heat on it.
- Hronek’s status has not yet been updated. He logged a season low 10:22 minutes of ice time.
- The third period saw little action from either side. For the Penguins, they took the conservative route to preserve the victory. For Detroit? There was little push back to even make things interesting. A very disappointing response, to say the least.
Gif of the Game
Jimmy Howard got yanked once again. The last time he won a game was back in October. Seriously.
Motor City MVP
Andreas Athanasiou
Athanasiou is starting to rediscover his 2018-19 self. While his effort in the third period, like the rest of the team, was not encouraging, he at least provided the most impact in the first 40 minutes. He played a big part in generating Detroit’s only goal, using his feet and quick hands to create the zone entry.
Depending on the way you see it, this could be a double edge sword for Athanasiou. As the trade deadline nears he’ll be a possible trading chip for GM Steve Yzerman. Performances like this will garner more attention. On the other hand, he could be playing his way back into future plans. However, if that be the case, it might be too little, too late to land the lucrative contract he’ll be seeking.
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