A Look at the Detroit Red Wings’ Seventh Game of the Season: Boston Bruins
A road game against a very good and hot Boston team was always going to be a challenge. The return of Brad Marchant excited the crowd more. And he looked very good. The Wings missed several opportunities in the first; Erne alone, Soderblom off the post, and a three-on-one did not result in a score. There was also an excellent and aggressive first-period penalty kill that resulted in zero shots against.
The Detroit Red Wings hung around in the second period. A team that can hang around after being down by two has a chance of good things happening. But good things did not happen. Three rapid goals early in the third period put a fork in this game.
The Detroit Red Wings did not play poorly but simply did not have the talent. Bouncing pucks went over Wings sticks and settled on Bruin sticks. There was no one who was able to make a big play when the game was close. And then everything fell apart like too many games last season.
Detroit Red Wings: Game Seven Individual Reports
Ben Chiarot — Grade C. He screened Husso on the first goal. This was one of the first games where Chiarot was not noticeable.
Moritz Seider — Grade C. Seider was burned on the early goal by Coyle. He struggled throughout to clear the zone ahead of a relentless forecheck. He looked slow. Seider is starting to play a lot like Chiarot, slow, physical, and with more anger.
Ollie Määttä – Grade C. Määttä made a few uncharacteristic giveaways in the game. Määttä was most notable for making poor passes or being checked off the puck, followed by hustling back to break up plays.
Filip Hronek – Grade C. Hronek struggled in the defensive zone. A bright spot is that he made a solid assist on the Erne goal. The was a deflection, and it was a messy assist, but he made the play.
Robert Hägg – Grade B. He is looking more comfortable with the puck. Confidence and professional calmness are showing up.
Gustav Lindstrom – Grade C. I was surprised not to see Oesterle. But Lindstrom looked solid in the first, with much better coverage and management along the boards. He still gets beaten one-on-one too often.