WINGS POSTGAME: Special teams flamed out
By Cameron Kuom
5 years agoThe Red Wings are meeting one of the up and coming contenders of the NHL in the Calgary Flames. The Flames have emerged as a powerhouse in the Pacific division, all thanks to a high powered offense lead by Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano.
The Flames found a way to win 6-4, in what was a very entertaining hockey game. Darren Eliot put it perfectly in the post game show: “You had a team in Calgary who expected to win, and a Detroit team hoping to win”.
Worth Mentioning
- Detroit got three powerplay opportunities in the first period with a chance to break the ice.
- After two powerplays with nothing to show for, third time was the charm. Anthony Mantha on a two-man advantage beat Mike Smith from top of the circle to make it 1-0.
- After Calgary tied it, Larkin regained the lead with a beauty of a shot to beat Smith.
- Mike Green, a Calgary native, picked up a nice goal in his return to his hometown. Making it 3-2 Wings.
- After Calgary tied it once again, Gustav Nyquist made a brilliant read to find Larkin for his second of the game and make it 4-3.
- Cue the collapse. Calgary would go on to score a short-handed goal and a powerplay goal to take a one lead with under 5 minutes left. They added an empty netter in the final minute.
- Special teams fell flat in this one. Three powerplay goals against and a short handed goal against is not good enough.
Final Thoughts
This is certainly a disappointing result. The Wings couldn’t find away to contain the Flames and pull away on the score board. They either lead or were tied for the majority of the game, but a late push by Calgary sealed the deal.
The Flames aren’t a team you want to get into a track meet with. The game was back and forth and at the end of the day, some costly errors and special team failures were the difference in this game.
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