The Detroit Red Wings suffered a tough overtime loss at home Sunday afternoon at the hands of Jake DeBrusk and the Vancouver Canucks. The former Bruin scored a hat trick, including the OT winner on Sunday afternoon.
I thought the Red Wings came out with a ton of jump and energy, but once again, they were hampered by their wretched league-worst penalty kill. The Red Wings entered the game with a non-competitive penalty kill, operating at a 66.2% success rate. On Sunday, Detroit went 2-4 on the PK, which is a slight improvement from the three goals allowed in four opportunities this past Friday against New Jersey.
The Red Wings have an excellent power play, but it hasn't been enough to overcome their shortcoming penalty kill. I don't think anyone would be surprised if Derek Lalonde decided to make a coaching change, removing assistant Bob Boughner from his duties if things don't immediately improve. I will certainly not make up excuses for Detroit's lackluster penalty kill, but reliable penalty-killing options are few and far between, particularly on the backend. Who is to blame? General manager Steve Yzerman hasn't exactly provided this staff with a reliable defensive core. Boughner is forced to roll out Jeff Petry and Ben Chiarot as the second pairing at even strength and the penalty kill. Maybe trading away veteran Olli Maatta earlier this season wasn't the best decision. I wasn't opposed to the transaction at the time, thinking that it would free up rookie Albert Johansson to be an everyday third-pairing defender, but he oddly continues to find himself in a rotational role.
Injuries of late have hampered the Detroit Red Wings, and that trend continued on Sunday
On Sunday, the Detroit Red Wings lost starting goaltender Cam Talbot to a lower-body injury mid-game. Talbot, 37, a bright spot this season for Detroit, removed himself from the game Sunday in the second period. During a break in the action, Talbot had a lengthy conversation with J.T. Compher in the crease. It was clearly a message Compher brought the Derek Lalonde. Shortly after, Talbot was spotted stretching out his lower body/groin area before removing himself after the Red Wings tied the score at two on Alex DeBrincat's tenth goal of the season.
Talbot gave way to veteran Ville Husso, who is in Detroit on an emergency recall because backup Alex Lyon is unavailable, nursing a lower-body injury of his own. Prior to Sunday's game, Lalonde mentioned that Lyon would not travel with the Red Wings this week on their two-game road trip to Boston and Ottawa. Detroit is also without Patrick Kane who has missed the last four games due to a lower-body injury. Kane is considered day-to-day, and there is optimism he will return to the lineup on Tuesday in Boston.
The hope is that Talbot's injury is minor and he won't be forced to miss much time, if any. Following the game, Lalonde said they'd know more Monday, but it's positive that Talbot remained in the game for a bit, trying to stretch it out before eventually exiting.
In the meantime, the Detroit Red Wings will lean on Ville Husso. Husso, 29, hasn't been a reliable option for the Red Wings in a couple of seasons. Last year, he battled a string of injuries for the majority of the season, plus when he was healthy in the first two months, he was ineffective. Husso began the year as Detroit's top goalie, getting the opening night nod, but allowed four goals in the first 25 minutes before being yanked in favor of Talbot. Husso cleared waivers and, after suffering a minor injury in Grand Rapids, returned and performed exceptionally well before the emergency recall. With the Griffins, he posted a stellar 1.58 goals against average with an elite 0.944 save percentage in five games with the Griffins.
Entering the day Sunday, the Red Wings were three points out of last place in the Atlantic Division and five points out of the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, but there were a ton of teams between them and that final spot. There are plenty of murmurs locally and nationally regarding head coach Derek Lalonde's future with the Red Wings, and now that future may fall on the shoulders of Husso. Lalonde is in the final year of his three-year deal, and with the Red Wings entering the year having postseason aspirations, many believe we're in a vital stretch of Detroit's season. Usually, Thanksgiving is a significant landmark for managers to determine if their club is a playoff-caliber team or not. Last season, Detroit was in a playoff position at Thanksgiving yet became one of three teams in that position that failed to make it.
If Talbot is forced to miss time, the Detroit Red Wings will need to determine who will join Husso. Veteran Jack Campbell is an option, but he has just returned to Grand Rapids after participating in the NHLPA's player assistance program and has yet to play a game. It would be challenging to ask Campbell to take on anything more than an emergency backup role, although he does bring significant NHL experience. A more daring choice would be to recall top prospect Sebastian Cossa, giving him the opportunity to gain some experience in the NHL.
As of Sunday afternoon, Cossa, 22, is 8-4-1, with the Griffins posting gaudy numbers. He's maintained a great 0.929 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average as the workhorse in the AHL. Some feel that bringing Cossa up to play behind Detroit's lackluster defense may risk hampering his development, but with Detroit fighting to save their season and Lalonde possibly trying to keep his job, Cossa might be Detroit's best healthy option (even playing behind this defense).