Detroit Red Wings fight until the end but fall short in OT loss to Kraken

It was a late start in Hockeytown as the Detroit Red Wings took on the Seattle Kraken. The late start proved to work against Detroit, as it was more of the norm for Seattle, but the Red Wings were a bit off their game early on.

The Detroit Red Wings had some momentum in the second period, but Seattle was able to tilt the ice back, well, with the help of the officiating crew. A three-goal second period helped Seattle get out in front early, but that did not stop Detroit from battling back.

Detroit came all the way back and was able to take the 4-3 lead at one point. Seattle would tie it and get the game-winner in OT, but the Red Wings were able to come away with a point in this one, battling until the end.

Detroit Red Wings salvage a point in a hard-fought matchup with Kraken.

1st Period

Detroit came out a bit flat-footed defensively in this one. Neither team found the back of the net during the first period, but Detroit looked a little rough in the defensive zone. It felt like they were erratic with their actions, getting out of position and giving up some good opportunities to Seattle.

Detroit got a power play late in the period, showing some good looks there, but were unable to find the back of the net. The Red Wings’ offense has been a strong suit, and they had a couple of good scoring chances but were unable to get it done. Dylan Larkin had a nice breakaway, but Joey Daccord made a nice stop with the toe of his pad, helping keep things scoreless after 20 minutes.

2nd Period

The Detroit Red Wings got busy early on in the second period. They were able to make their mark on the game and get out to a 1-0 lead early on. They put pressure on Seattle early, and Joe Veleno found the back of the net with his fourth of the young campaign.

Olli Maatta sent one on net from the point, and Veleno got a stick on it for a redirected goal that beat Daccord. It was a nice redemption for Veleno, who nearly had a goal in the first period after banging one of the crossbar, missing an empty net. But he got his goal and helped Detroit take a 1-0 lead.

The Red Wings gave Seattle a chance on the power play, and they took it. About five minutes into the period, Justin Holl headed to the box for a holding call. Kraken defender Jaden Schwartz was crashing hard in the slot and got a backhand swipe on the puck out front, getting it past Ville Husso to make it a 1-1 game.

Late in the second, Jaden Schwartz would strike again. He carried the puck into the zone on the far side with a 2-on-1 chance. He let one rip and was able to beat Husso. It looked like he got a bit of his glove on it, but the puck found the back of the net nonetheless and gave Seattle the lead.

After that, the refs decided to insert themselves in the game if the “penalty” on Ben Chiarot for not sprinting to the bench was not enough. Schwartz broke up a scoring chance for Detroit by tossing his stick, but the officiating crew missed it or shared a different opinion. Here’s the play, you be the judge…

The scoring chance was no more, and Seattle was able to break it out. Tye Kartye got in close on Husso and let one rip, finding the back of the net to add to the Seattle lead. Kartye extended Seattle’s lead to two goals heading into the second intermission.

Overtime

With 4.9 seconds left on the clock, Seattle secured the win. Eberle got one out front and was able to sneak it behind Husso to give them the win over Detroit. It was a hard-fought game, and Detroit had a good overtime performance.

They could have controlled the puck more, but while Seattle did have the puck a ton early, they did a good job cycling and doing a good job limiting them. Detroit had a couple of chances as well, including a Lucas Raymond shot that beat Daccord and rang off the post.

It was a tough break for Detroit as the win streak was crushed, but they still emerged with a point and will continue a big week of games.

The Rundown…

As Bob Heyrman did in his recap of Detroit’s win over Calgary, let’s throw in a little Jim Halpert rundown.

• Detroit battled. Sure, they lost, and a loss to a 1-4-1 team sucks. But they salvaged a point in OT and battled back after the refs made it tough on them. It’s worth noting that fight and that ability to overcome adversity. Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s a different team than in years past.
• Alex DeBrincat scored again. It’s pretty unreal what “The Cat” is doing to this point. He’s been unstoppable, finding the back of the net nine times already in seven games. He’s off to a roaring start.
• The refs were bad. It’s hard to sit there and blame a whole game on the refs and cry wolf, but there were some soft calls on both sides, and the no-call on Schwartz is certainly one that has to be called. It is what it is, but the officiating surely could have been better and played a factor in this one.
• The power play is a real problem, a good one. Detroit’s power play was 3-for-6 on the day, bringing them even higher on the season standing once again. It’s impressive how well the team’s power play unit is operating.
• Ville Husso is not the problem. The overtime goal was not totally on him. Heck, if Lucas Raymond hits the net and not the post a few seconds before that on the other end of the ice, he never has to make that save. Husso may not be Andrei Vasilevskiy, but he played well on Tuesday night, regardless of what the Red Wings Twitter mafia thinks.

The win streak stops at five in a row, and Detroit falls to a 5-1-1 record after tonight’s overtime loss to the Kraken. They have a big week of games ahead still, with a chance to keep adding some points and continuing to prove they are more than legit.

Detroit’s back in action on Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets. It’ll be another good matchup as Detroit looks to get back in the win column and start a new win streak.