The Detroit Red Wings finally were able to end their losing streak in Vancouver last night versus the Canucks. In a 1-0 victory, the goaltending on both sides kept the scoring to a minimum as both teams fired shots off consistently throughout all three periods. Coming into this game, Detroit had to snap out of their slump and play the strongest game that they could in order to get the win that felt long overdue.
Regarding line changes, Nick Leddy was scratched from tonight’s roster for asset protection purposes as there seems to be a trade in his near future. Taking his place alongside Moritz Seider was Jordan Oesterle; which left the other two defense pairings as Juolevi-Hronek and Staal-Stecher. Taro Hirose remained on the offensive fourth line alongside Rasmussen and Erne while all other lines remained the same. Tyler Bertuzzi could potentially return to the lineup Saturday vs. the Kraken if he is back from the birth of his daughter. Congratulations to him and his family!
Alex Nedeljkovic was an absolute brick wall with a 43 save performance and a shutout. Coming into this game, Nedeljkovic had lost five of his last ten starts including the 9-2 loss to Arizona. This was his 2nd start of the road trip and he had a stellar performance as he shut down Vancouver’s offense for all sixty minutes of play. It wasn’t an easy game for him either as he faced 43 shots and managed to make all 43 saves. It’s truly great to see him back at his best or at least close to it.
The Wings defense was shockingly strong in front of their own net for the first time in forever. They shut down over forty chances from the Canucks offense and they provided the support that Nedeljkovic needed to have a stellar performance. It’s no secret that the Red Wings defense has been struggling this season, so every game where they are able to pull things together is something to celebrate.
What would a Red Wings victory be without a highlight-reel play by Moritz Seider? The beloved rookie showed his star power late in the 2nd period as he manipulated a defensive play to shut down a drive to net as well as a stick check and a blocked shot. For an incredibly impressive play, Seider made it look easy as his natural instincts and game awareness create a thing of beauty once again.
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Regarding offense, Detroit took 35 shots on goal and was able to crack Thatcher Demko to get the one goal of the game. The offense showed up and showed out as did the defense and goaltending- making this contest an all-around success for Detroit as it was their best game played in over two weeks.
This long-awaited victory is the confidence booster that Detroit oh so desperately needed. Losing six straight games and having given up an absurd amount of goals in a ten-game span was one of the worst patches of Red Wings hockey that has been played in quite a long time. Thankfully, there have been a number of positives to come out of most of those games- all of which seemed to combine in this matchup against the Canucks to finally bring home a win. Moving forward into Saturday’s game against Seattle, the Red Wings hope to keep their upward momentum flowing and to play a better game than this one against the Kraken.