The Detroit Red Wings go 1-1 against Blackhawks and Leafs

The Detroit Red Wings come into Week 5 with a record of 5-5-1 and are looking to build on their win against the Buffalo Sabres.

This week, Alex Lyon would leave the lineup with an LBI (Lower Body Injury), and the return of Ville Husso, who was sent down to Grand Rapids at the start of the season, then sidelined with injury for a few games in the AHL.

The Red Wings played well during both games but ultimately didn't gain much ground on their Atlantic Division counterparts. But the most important question of this season so far is how they look overall. Well, let me tell you.

Another Red Wings look solid but remain at .500 after a win and a loss

Nov. 8, 2024
Game 12: Red Wings @ Blackhawks
4-1 Red Wings Win
SOG: 25-29 Blackhawks

Starting Goaltenders: Cam Talbot v Petr Mrázek

A tale as old as time: the Detroit Red Wings taking on the Chicago Blackhawks. The Red Wings came into this game looking to gain some space on the other Atlantic division teams below them as well as gain some space on those above them. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks were looking to simply compete. This would also be the first time Erik Gustafsson, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat would return to Chicago on the same team as the opposition to the Blackhawks.

The first period started like most of the Red Wings games have started this season. Meh. This is a bit of a slight on this iteration of the Blackhawks because even with the Red Wings starting slowly, the Blackhawks got pretty much nothing of quality. To be fair, neither did the Red Wings; aside from DeBrincat being robbed by Mrázek and the crossbar, this was an incredibly slow first period. The only penalty in this period was when Connor Bedard decided that he wanted to be above the Blackhawk's past superstar and tripped Kane after he picked Bedard's pocket like it was nothing. The Red Wings didn't score on that powerplay but never feared this period wouldn't end scoreless as Alex Debrincat (6) would score with 1.4 seconds left in the period, assisted by Dylan Larkin (2). taking a 1-0 lead into the second period.

The second period was much more fun. We started with both teams playing actual hockey. While they may be in the infancy of their rebuild, the Blackhawks are still a team filled with NHL players as well as good young talent. Unfortunately, after one hell of a defensive breakdown by four of the five skaters on the ice, Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno buried what would be the only Blackhawks goal of the game. The tie would be short-lived as Dylan Larkin (8) would rocket one past Mrázek assisted by Alex DeBrincat (5) to take a 2-1 lead. There was some more back and forth, but Talbot wasn't challenged too much. The Red Wings would hold on to take a 2-1 lead into the third period.

The third period would be where the Red Wings put their foot to the floor and didn't let the Blackhawks get back into the game. Keeping the Blackhawks stuck on the defensive for the first three minutes of the period, Joe Veleno (1) would redirect a point shot assisted by Moritz Seider (7) and Michael Rasmussen (2). The Blackhawks would push back a few times and would come close a time or two but would ultimately come up short and need to pull their goalie. With just over two minutes left, newly rejuvenated offensive dynamo Andrew Copp (5) would score the empty net goal, assisted by Lucas Raymond (11) and Simon Edvinsson (4), to make it a 4-1 game. The Red Wings would lock things down for the remaining 2 minutes to beat the Blackhawks 4-1 and gain a much-needed 2 points.

While it was against a much weaker opponent. This was the type of game the Red Wings need to play more of to make something more of this season. He wasn't put to the test very often, but when he was, he was there to make the save. Seider and Edvinsson once again carried the weight of the defense on their shoulders but still generated a lot of offense. This was also the 4th or 5th game in a row where the 1st and 3rd lines were the only Red Wing lines generating anything in the way of consistent pressure and offense. Berggren and Kasper have some of the best chemistry on the team, but they just can't seem to get the puck past the goalie for whatever reason.

Nov. 8, 2024
Game 13: Red Wings @ Maple Leafs
1-3 Maple Leafs win
SOG: 22-20 Red Wings

Starting Goaltenders: Cam Talbot v Anthony Stolarz

The Red Wings come into this divisional matchup looking to extend their win streak to three, while the Maple Leafs look to build off their decimation of the Boston Bruins a few nights ago. The big storyline going into this game was how the Maple Leafs would fare with superstar goal-scorer and captain Auston Matthews out with an injury. The answer to that was...not bad.

The first period almost started off really badly for the Red Wings as Nick Robertson almost buried one less than two minutes into the game. Fortunately for the Red Wings, this goal would be challenged for goaltender interference and would be called back, keeping it 0-0 ($20 to whoever can tell me what goaltender interference is). After that drama, the period would take a while to get settled in as there were so many whistles for things like Icing, puck out of play, or offsides. Neither team could seem to figure out what they wanted to do most of the time. With a little less than nine minutes left in the period, Michael Rasmussen would get sent to the box of mischievous animals after getting called for interference. This would allow the molten-hot Maple Leafs' power play and (future Red Wing?) Mitch Marner scored off a William Nylander rebound, making it 1-0 Leafs. The Red Wings would get a power play later in the period after Bobby McMann decided that Albert Johansson's stick was better suited to be in the corner instead of his hands, but nothing came of it as Anthony Stolarz absolutely stone-walled everything the Red Wings threw at them. The period would end with the Leafs up 1-0.

The second period was when the game started to settle down and get a decent flow going. A lot of back and forth, with chances on both sides being stopped by the respective goaltenders. It wasn't until the 12:05 mark when John Tavares figured that Jonatan Berggren didn't need to be on his feet anymore and got called for hooking, sending the Red Wings to another power play. With five seconds left on the power play, Dylan Larkin (9) would snipe the hell out of the puck to make this a tied 1-1 game, assisted by Lucas Raymond (12) and Alex DeBrincat (6). This also put Larkin in sole possession of the top spot for most power play goals so far this season with six. The celebration would be short-lived, however, as the Red Wings would be served a penalty for too much man and would send the Leafs back on the power play. The Leafs would also score on this power play when John Tavares would do his best Dylan Larkin impression and snipe the puck top corner from the hash marks, once again making this a one-goal game. Despite the pushback by the Red Wings the rest of the period, the Leafs would hold on fo take the 2-1 lead into the third period.

The third period was total desperation mode for the Red Wings top line, as they were doing everything they possibly could to get the puck past Stolars a second time. They even made him go so far as to grab the puck with his bare hand on a goal-line stand to keep the puck out of his net. But nothing would come of it, and with about 2:30 left in the period, the Red Wings would pull Talbot, and after a bad reverse pass from Seider that no other Red Wing followed up on, John Tavares would score the empty net goal to seal the game at 3-1.

What made me so aggravated about this game wasn't that the Red Wings played badly at 5 on 5. It was that every time the team tried to make a pass or move around a defender, the puck would take some dumb bounce and either land on the stick of a Maple Leaf or ruin the entire rush or shot chance. Once again, The top line and the third line are the Red Wings' best two lines offensively, and while once again, it doesn't show on the scoresheet, Berggren and Kasper had the best 5 on 5 chances for the Red Wings all game. Seider and Edvinsson had a good game once again, aside from Seider's gaffe at the end, which led to a goal against them. Larkin and Debrincat continue to find each other all over the offensive zone, while poor Raymond is anchored to Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher. And while both are playing well, They're not the talent Raymond should be playing with. I think it's time to put the kids on the second line and see what happens. Raymond needs players who can keep up with him and take advantage of the opportunities he creates just by existing.