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WINGS POSTGAME: Holiday hangover

Dec 27, 2018, 21:45 ESTUpdated: Dec 28, 2018, 07:59 EST

The Detroit Red Wings were back in action after a three-day holiday break, as they traveled to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Thursday night. However, the Penguins extended the Red Wings’ losing streak, winning 5-2.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

The Red Wings got on the scoreboard first, as Gustav Nyquist fought off three Penguins defenders, found an open Dylan Larkin, who snapped a shot over Matt Murray‘s shoulder.

The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead into the second period, and after a lackadaisical start to the second frame, the Penguins scored twice in a span of 1:14 to take a 2-1 lead.
The Penguins added one more goal in the second period, but the Red Wings cut the deficit to 3-2 early in the third period, as Andreas Athanasiou scored on a breakaway.

But the deficit quickly returned to two, as Pittsburgh scored just 1:10 later to go up 4-2.
The Penguins added an empty-net goal to secure the win.

FINAL THOUGHT

The Penguins came out firing in the second period, and a three-goal outburst — not to mention a 20-14 shot attempts advantage at 5 on 5 — in the second helped them gain the lead for good. In the third, the Penguins continued the onslaught and didn’t give Detroit a chance to get back in it.

While the Red Wings still are getting solid goaltending, it’s not at the level that it was during the winning streak, so as a result, they aren’t stealing games. It was only a matter of time before the losses piled up, as the Red Wings generally lose the possession battle.

Detroit has lost six of its last seven and have essentially erased the good November.