Defense Keeps Red Wings Close Despite 2-1 Loss

After a rough first period, the Red Wings defense clamped down and brought Tampa Bay down to the wire.

The first period was a familiar one. Detroit gave up two goals in the first ten minutes, and looked ripe for another blowout loss. But the Wings stuck around, as both the defense and goaltender Thomas Greiss shut down a lethal Tampa Bay offense.

The second period went scoreless, as defense and goaltending continues to be the main story of the game. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy seemed to have Detroit’s number, making one impressive save after another.

Detroit’s offense finally found a way to beat Vasilevskiy four minutes into the third period. Adam Erne’s stock continues to rise, as he chased in on a Detroit scoring chance to cut the lead to just one.

But Detroit couldn’t find a way to get the game tying goal, despite a bevy of chances.
After a handful of games that have been over in the first period, it was a surprise to see Detroit show some grit and fight their way back into it. The Wings will get another shot at beating Tampa tomorrow afternoon.

Red Wings Goals

Game Notes

• Detroit’s fourth line continues to be competent, it not outright good. If the Red Wings bottom line continues to play like this up until the deadline, teams around the league are going to try to siphon off some of that depth scoring for a deep run in the playoffs. Keep an eye on Luke Glendening and Erne come April 12th.
• Filip Zadina continues to impress. The guy must legitimately be cursed, because it seems like we see at least a couple scoring chances every game. But his defensive game continues to get better with every passing game.
• Greiss had a bit of a rough start, but he really turned it around in the following periods. He had a save percentage of .931,l and 27 saves. Not too shabby, especially considering the competition.