Red Wings rally falls short, lose to Columbus 3-2

Before the puck even dropped, both Frans Nielsen and Michael Rasmussen were last minute additions due to Covid protocol for Robby Fabbri and Adam Erne, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan.   The second line had a new wrinkle with Rasmussen slotting in for Fabbri, and he didn’t waste time making an impact. Rasmussen won a face-off in the right circle that Bobby Ryan promptly fired into the net to give the Wings an early 1-0 lead. But Columbus would tie the game

Detroit Red Wings

in the second before pulling away in the third, due to some sloppy play by the Red Wings. Mantha added a goal late in the third that led to a scrum and overturning what had been ruled no goal. The Red Wings had one final gasp but it was for naught. A few observations:

• Michael Rasmussen looked faster and more polished in what was a game time insertion into the lineup. He had scoring chances and was all over the ice defensively, blocking shots and winning the face off that led to a goal. He definitely looks more comfortable on the ice.
• Some of the issues that were aplenty last season cropped up when Columbus scored its latter two goals. A poor line change combined with a lack of coverage sprung Pierre-Luc Dubois en route to a goal on the heels of the go-ahead. Again, this is a team recovering from a horrible season and adjusting to new faces in the lineup. It felt like that snowball effect, however, when Columbus buried Detroit with two goals nearly 90 seconds apart.
• Tensions boiled over in the end where the no goal was overturned, but it brought up an interesting point: Larkin and Ryan were both off the ice for those final 50+ seconds because of fighting. Of course, it’s fair to wonder if their presence would have led to a goal. The Wings did have control for a good chunk of that final minute, but couldn’t get a shot through.

There’s a quick turnaround as the Red Wings and Blue Jackets face off again tomorrow night in Detroit. Puck drops at 7:30 pm ET.