WINGS POSTGAME: KO’d by the Islanders
By Tom Mitsos
5 years agoAfter a big win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, the Detroit Red Wings, with Tyler Bertuzzi done serving his two-game suspension, hosted the New York Islanders on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. However, the Islanders spoiled Bertuzzi’s return, winning 3-2 in a chippy game that saw multiple fights.
Worth Mentioning
- The Red Wings got on the scoreboard early, as Justin Abdelkader followed Dylan Larkin‘s shot and beat Thomas Greiss.
- The Red Wings appeared to take a 2-0 lead about 12 seconds later, but the Islanders challenged for offside and won.
- The Red Wings eventually took a 2-0 lead, with about six minutes left in the first, as Niklas Kronwall fired a rocket past Greiss.
- Toward the end of the first, Kronwall laid a big hit on Anders Lee. Kronwall made contact with Lee’s head, but Lee also had his head down. No penalty was called on the play, but Kronwall could face a suspension. It didn’t appear Kronwall was aiming for the head, but the contact is there.
- In the second period, the Islanders scored two goals in 2:26 to tie it at 2-2, and as NHL correspondent Dave Hogg pointed out, the Red Wings have blown at least a two-goal lead four times in the past three games.
- Matt Martin‘s goal early in the third period ended up being the game-winning goal.
Final Thoughts
It’s nice to see the Red Wings scoring on a somewhat consistent basis, but the blown leads have been the reason for Detroit’s past two losses. Part of it is no doubt a lack of experience in closing out games, but part of it also is playing not to lose instead of playing to win.
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