Recap: Red Wings fall to the Senators 4-1

Every team has an achillies heel. The Detroit Red Wings went on to prove last night that the Ottawa Senators are their’s.

This was a game that the Detroit Red Wings could have won, but unfortunately they lost for the third time in a row to the Senators after a couple of empty net goals put the final score at 4-1. In a cool start to the night Akil Baddoo performed a ceremonial puck drop in honor of Tigers Night and we received some cool red Tigers hats.

First Period

The Red Wings did not have a strong start to the game. There were collisions between teammates, lots of missed passes, and just some general confusion on the team. The guys definitely did not start on time. Thomas Greiss bailed the team out with some big saves to keep them in the game.

Halfway through the period Ottawa went on the power play on a holding penalty and the PK units came up with a big kill to keep the game even. Not long after an Ottawa penalty gave an opportunity to get the first goal of the game. Unfortunately, they were not able to get a goal as the power play struggles continued. In the waning seconds of the period Ottawa was able to get an odd-man rush going and Austin Watson scored a goal with 4 seconds left.

Second Period

With the first period ending badly for the Red Wings they really needed to start out the second period strong to build some momentum. It was not to be as they continued to struggle to set anything up in the Ottawa zone with more issues passing and controlling the puck. Another Ottawa penalty around the 4 minute mark ended up in another dismal power play.

After that penalty the Wings seemed to get it together and gain some momentum with some sustained offensive zone time. Another power play opportunity came to the Red Wings and this time Tyler Bertuzi was able to bury a puck that bounced off the boards with the assists going to Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. Ottawa came back a few minutes later with Drake Batherson deflecting a puck by Greiss to give them the lead again killing any momentum from the Bertuzi goal.

Third Period

With only a one goal deficit going into the third there was still hope that they could turn this around and bring home the victory. The third period started out with the same disorganized play that was the theme of the first two periods. It just seemed like most of the team was not in sync. There were some good chances for the tying goal and they definitely tried to get the game back. Greiss kept them in the game with some big save like he had all night.

As time was running out in the game Greiss ended up being pulled from the goal and this led to yet another empty net goal by Tim Stutzel to make it 3-1. Then once the Wings had control of the puck in Ottawa’s zone Greiss headed to the bench again resulting in another empty netter by Stutzel to end at the final 4-1 score. Another game where defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.

Some Positive News

Seider played a great defensive game tonight with some big hits that got the crowd into the game and his usual solid defensive play earning him second star of the game. If he doesn’t win the Calder this year I’ll be shocked. Also, Greiss was solid in goal tonight making lots of big saves and giving his team a chance to win. This was the best performance that I’ve seen from him in a while. Next up is a trip to North Carolina to take on the Hurricanes.

Detroit Red Wings Three Stars of the Game

1. Moritz Seider: 1 assist, 4 SOG, 4 hits, 2 blocks, 22:46 TOI
2. Thomas Greiss: 28/30, .933 SV%
3. Filip Zadina: 3 SOG, 3 Hits, 1 Takeaway, 17:20 TOI

The Detroit Red Wings next game is against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. Hopefully the Red Wings bounce back with a good performance and obtain two more points.