Fansided

More of the Same: Red Wings thumped by Blackhawks 6-2

By Nate Brown |
Jan 14, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) skates with the puck in the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2021; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (59) skates with the puck in the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Oh it didn’t start the way we wanted for the Red Wings. Before anyone blinked, the Blackhawks were up 2-0, and hooo boy, did Twitter explode. Whether it was at Frans Nielsen’s inability to clear the puck, poor coverage, or fury aimed at the coaching staff, it was a lackadaisical first period. The second period saw the Red Wings with a 5 on 3, drawn by Taro Hirose, and they were able to capitalize. Connor Murphy put the Hawks up 3-1 late in the second. Mattias Janmark made it 4-1 as Patrick Kane skated untouched and found him waiting for a pass. Bertuzzi added another on the power play, pulling the Wings within two. The Hawks answered quick as Pius Suter notched his third career goal–and first career hat trick–giving Chicago a 5-2 lead. The Blackhawks added another and well, there isn’t much to say beyond that it was brutal to watch.

A few thoughts:

  • So Anthony Mantha made some bizarre, bad passes and defensively looked lost, especially on the fourth goal. It wasn’t one of his best games. One other interesting observation: Twice on the power play, in spite of having no clear lane, Mantha teed up shots that were immediately blocked as he set up in the right circle. I don’t know if that’s drawn up, he’s been encouraged to shoot that, or he’s just pressing a bit, trying to make something happen.
  • The Wings broke through on a 5 on 3 but the power play unit, especially the second unit, looked dismal. In fairness, The Athletic’s Max Bultman is absolutely correct with this tweet. 80% of the second unit is in protocol but at some point, this team has to figure it out.
  • How about Taro Hirose and Givani Smith? Their presence was felt on several plays–Hirose drawing penalties (twice) and carrying it in several times on entries to get it deep. Smith had a great play along the boards where he kept a scoring opportunity alive and then fed Dylan Larkin for a great scoring chance.

You can’t help but shake that feeling that in spite of there being a confidence just a few days ago, these are the games that could send them into a tailspin. Here’s hoping that’s not the case. But getting outscored 10-3 by the Blackhawks in the two-game series is rough.

Detroit plays Dallas on Tuesday. Let’s hope it’s a better outcome.

Home / Red Wings News