WINGS POSTGAME: Horrid third period from Red Wings squanders two points: ‘I thought it was a joke’
By Cameron Kuom
4 years agoThe Red Wings lose to the New Jersey Devils by a score of 5-1. Detroit was in it for most of the game, which is the most upsetting. The third period saw little positives on both ends of the ice. Limited scoring chances and costly turnovers plagued the final 20 minutes.
The word “snowball” comes up a lot in the postgame interviews. When something doesn’t go their way a lot of mistakes start to pile up. As Jeff Blashill stated after the game, regarding the team’s play after going down 3-1: “I thought it was a joke.”
Thoughts and Highlights
- The Red Wings got Patrik Nemeth back in the lineup after a five game absence. That certainly makes things easier on the coaching staff when it comes to deployment.
- The forward grouping saw a bit of a shakeup. Brendan Perlini and Andreas Athanasiou swapped lines early in the game. Blashill obviously looking to create some chemistry between different teammates. The Red Wings offense as of late has been quite inconsistent.
- Anthony Mantha left the game less than ten minutes in with a lower-body injury. He did not return and his status is currently unknown. Hopefully it is nothing long-term. That would be a major blow to the Red Wings lineup.
- Penalties galore in the first period. Both teams took three penalties in the opening frame, but no goals were scored. The Red Wings got some positive offensive zone play from their second unit, which is typically not the case. The top-unit, however, had their struggles getting set-up.
- Taro Hirose broke the ice with the game’s first goal in the second period. A great feed by Madison Bowey helped set up the goal.
- An assist on the goal seems like redemption for Bowey. He took back-to-back penalties in the first period, the second of which was an interference call for attempting to make a play while still in the penalty box.
- Tyler Bertuzzi got into it with P.K. Subban in front of the Devils net. They exchanged some shoves and the rest of the crowd got involved from there.
- The third period certainly did not go the Red Wings way. They were utterly dominated, allowing New Jersey to rattle of two straight goals in a matter of minutes. They only managed to put up five shots on goal. Very disappointing, considering it was a 1-1 tie entering the period.
- Interesting of note: Blashill opted to pull the goaltender with over 5 minutes to play while trailing by two goals. Based off of goalie pull decisions from earlier in the season, Blashill is quite aggressive in that regard.
Gif of the Game
Taking on a basement team, tied going into the third period, they better win this one…
Motor City MVP
Jonathan Bernier
Bernier played a strong game, making some huge saves in the second period. Neither of the two dagger-like goals in the third period were his fault, which is unfortunate because it will overshadow his performance. On a positive note, its good to see Bernier to assert himself, as it seems he is taking over as 1A, rather then 1B, in the goaltending tandem with Jimmy Howard.
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