Cam Talbot dazzles in Detroit's first victory of the regular season

Cam Talbot was just what the doctor ordered for the Detroit Red Wings who have struggled out of the gate. Now, let's not overreact just a mere two games into the new season. Still, after a 6-3 shellacking at the hands of a familiar foe, the Pittsburgh Penguins, on opening night, Detroit rebounded with a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators thanks to some stout defense and marvelous goaltending.

Saturday night was sort of his 'welcome to Detroit' moment for veteran netminder Cam Talbot as he backed the Red Wings to a shutout victory over an early-season Stanley Cup favorite, making a whopping 42 saves. Talbot was forced into duty on Thursday night in relief of Ville Husso, who oddly got the opening night nod over Talbot and Alex Lyon.

Husso, while it all can't fall on him, didn't perform well, and on a shot seemingly right at him without a screen slipped by his glove, sort of reminded me of last year's Husso. It's unfortunate because I so badly want to see the Husso we saw over the first half of his first year in Detroit, but that is quickly becoming a distant memory. Many of us want to think his struggles are out of character and maybe that above-average netminder is still in there, but as time goes on, I can't help but wonder if those first few months upon joining the Red Wings is the actual anomaly.

Cam Talbot shines in Detroit Red Wings debut

"I got my feet wet in the last game in the second and third and tried to carry it over," Talbot said. "Nashville is a heck of a hockey club, they added a lot of weapons this year, so we knew it was going to be a tough task and I was just trying to do my part."

It wasn't just Talbot, the Detroit Red Wings recorded a whopping 31 blocked shots. That number doesn't even seem real, but top defender Moritz Seider led the charge with seven. Yes, seven blocks.

"As a goaltender, you appreciate that more than anything," Talbot said. "Those guys don’t have the padding that I do, and they are putting their bodies on the line. There were some huge ones throughout the entire night, a lot on the PK, 6-on-5. They were diving in front of everything."

A couple of additional notes.

Veteran defenseman Jeff Petry was injured in the first game of the season, which prompted the organization to recall Justin Holl. Holl cleared waivers last week and was immediately inserted into Detroit's lineup paired with Simon Edvinsson. Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde also inserted Albert Johansson into Detroit's lineup, and he performed exceptionally well in his NHL debut. Johansson was in for Erik Gustafsson, who was a healthy scratch. It's probably a bit of a surprise for the veteran off-season addition who was expected to replace Shayne Gostisbehere. Instead of Gustafsson anchoring the second power-play unit, it was veteran Ben Chiarot.

Christian Fischer left Saturday's game with a minor upper-body injury. Fischer will not be available for Detroit's game in New York against the Rangers on Monday evening. Derek Lalonde mentioned that it wouldn't be an injury reserve situation, meaning a roster spot wouldn't be freed up, and Detroit would need to pass someone through waivers if they elect to call up a forward. He mentioned that it would likely be a veteran forward getting the call because it is expected to be a short-term stay. With how poorly Husso performed in game one, maybe he's the most obvious choice. All signs point to Austin Watson. This only throws gas onto the 'why isn't Marco Kasper here' notion. The fact of the matter is Kasper should already be in Detroit.