The Detroit Red Wings are at a bit of a crossroads. They had a seven-game skid going and finally cut that off, picking up a win. They were able to claw and fight in the contest against Buffalo, beating them 4-1 a few days after they put a 7-2 whooping on them in their barn.
However, on Sunday, the Detroit Red Wings saw the Pittsburgh Penguins put them right back in the "loss" column. They got beat up on pretty hard by the Penguins, who brought the energy, whereas Detroit was lackadaisical and struggled to look the same as they did back in their win that snapped the skid.
Alex Lyon was back in the net for the Red Wings, and the Penguins were able to get his number. They scored six goals, getting ahead of Detroit and pretty much staying in the driver's seat. In the postgame article, Bob Heyrman wrote how the Red Wings are clinging to life this week, trying to stay in the wildcard race.
He also mentions that James Reimer gives Detroit the best chance to win right now. There are plenty of folks out there who will refuse to believe it -- writing off Reimer. But he really does give Detroit the best chance to win, and the time to trust in him is now for the Red Wings.
Detroit Red Wings need to give James Reimer a chance.
It may not pique the interest of many, but something has to give. Reimer has seldom been used by Detroit, and giving him a chance to patrol the crease with hopes of adding a couple of wins would be huge for the Red Wings as they try to put an end to their postseason drought.
Lyon has taken some strides in the wrong direction, struggling a ton between the pipes. Detroit has trusted him to be the team's primary option, with Ville Husso being MIA with injury issues. Reimer might just give Detroit the best chance to win. Right now, two points could be the difference for them, so trusting Reimer and giving Lyon a chance to reset might be important.
Reimer has played in 20 games, making 15 starts, for the Red Wings. He's got a 7-7-2 record with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. He may not be winning a Vezina or be a diamond in the rough, but he has been serviceable. On a team that came into the year with three goalies, Reimer has gotten the least amount of attention.
Trusting in Reimer for a game or two has to be a discussion. Continuing to press on Lyon is a problem. The playoff hopes may be dead in the eyes of some, but there's still a little bit of life. Giving Reimer a shot could end up being good for Detroit in the final stretch.