Detroit Red Wings Blue Line Report for the Week of December 11, 2022
By Steven Shaw
A Look at the Detroit Red Wings’ Twenty-Seventh Game of the Season: Dallas Stars
The Stars are a tough team to play against after the Florida road trip. But the Red Wings were back to being tight on defense and limiting opportunities. Husso returned to the net and had another quality start. An overtime loss is not the worst result. But that overtime period was awkward and chaotic. A miscommunication between Chiarot and Larkin led to a two-on-one and the final goal by the Stars.
Detroit Red Wings: Game Twenty-Seven Individual Reports
Moritz Seider – Grade B. This has not been a great season so far for Seider. But he remains an outstanding penalty killer and adds much to the team in this regard. He is still a key figure on the offense with subtle plays and getting second assists.
Ben Chiarot – Grade B. A nice shot at the end of the second period that David Perron deflected helped to get a huge last-minute goal in the second period. I’m also not sure that Chiarot is the best choice on the ice for a three-on-three overtime situation. After Seider and Hronek, Walman may be the best defenseman on the team for the overtime situation.
Filip Hronek – Grade B+. The soaring confidence of Hronek means that he is taking control of the puck and often dictating the game when he is on the ice. His defensive deficiencies that have been noted so often are nearly invisible when he carries the puck and controls it in this fashion.
Jake Walman – The four-minute-high sticking in the second period could have been the game’s turning point. The Stars scored a goal, but the Red Wings will off the rest of the penalty. Walman showed excellent skating. He and Hronek are a quality pairing.
Jordan Oesterle – Grade C. Not a bad player and an upgrade over Hagg. But he is not good enough to pull Lindstrom up. The result is that this third pairing will need major protection from the forwards. When this third pair is on the ice, the Wings will spend some time scrambling in their own end. This tendency is exaggerated when playing on the road.
Gustav Lindstrom – Grade D. The way he was burned on the second goal was horrid coverage on a two-on-two rush. The third line is back to being the team’s weak link in the last two games. He’s always trapped by forecheckers on the rush.