The Detroit Red Wings remain at .500 after 50/50 Week 4
Could the Red Wings break their three-game skid from week 3? Or did they make things worse?
Coming into Week 4 with a record of 4-4-1 and on a three-game losing skid after a brutal Week 3, the Red Wings were looking to hopefully break out of this slump and keep the train on the track before it derails completely.
This week would see the Red Wings move on from Olli Määttä by Trading him to the Utah Hockey Club for a third-round pick. Tyler Motte would still be out of the lineup but would be a full-time participant in practice.
The Red Wings would once again end the week being at NHL .500, ending the week with a record of 5-5-1.
The Red Wings continue to pick and choose when they decide to play at 100%
Oct. 30, 2024
Game 10: Jets @ Red Wings
6-2 Jets Win
SOG: 29-21 Jets
Starting Goaltenders: Alex Lyon v Connor Hellebuyck
Tonight's lineup vs. Winnipeg. 👇 pic.twitter.com/rCuAU1t1nF
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 30, 2024
Do I really have to talk about this game? Cause I really don't want to. Fine...
The Red Wings come into this game trying to snap a two-game losing streak against the hottest team in the NHL, The Winnipeg Jets who are looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season. With Olli Määttä being traded, Albert Johansson gets to make a second consecutive start for the team while Erik Gustaffson would be scratched for a second consecutive game along with Vladimir Tarasenko who would be out this game with illness with Austin Watson getting the call-up on an emergency basis.
The first period was nothing but Jets from the opening faceoff to the end of the first period. After winning the opening faceoff, Gabriel Vilardi would score at 17:12 of the period. About one minute later, Neal Pionk would score to make it 2-0, four minutes into the first period. The Jets would continue to dominate the Red Wings for most of the period with the Wings getting some mediocre chances at best. But don't you worry, the Jets would score once again thanks to the molten-hot Kyle Connor to make it 3-0 to end the period.
The Red Wings seemed to wake up and made this into a legitimate hockey game in the second period. Put actual pressure on the Jets zone while effectively defending in their zone with Alex Lyon making some key saves as well. At 11:47 in the period, Dylan Larkin (5) would finally get one past Hellebuyck assisted by Lucas Raymond (8) and Moritz Seider (5). The Red Wings would manage to get enough pressure on the Jets to draw a penalty and go on the power play with just over three minutes left in the period. Just under a minute into the power play, Alex DeBrincat (5) would score assisted once again by Raymond (9) and Seider (6) to make it 3-2 going into the third period.
We enter the third period with a faint hope that if the Red Wings bring that energy from the second period, they may be able to pull out a shocker. What? Winnipeg scored already? Who was it? Ben Chiarot? Doesn't he play for us? Huh...well it's unfortunate but it's only a two-goal difference and we've seen this team come back from worse with less time. This is what my battle-hardened fan brain thought at the time of this goal, but this seemed just to kill whatever energy the Red Wings had left. After this goal, we didn't see an NHL team. We saw an AHL team fighting for the last playoff spot in the Calder Cup playoffs. The Jets would score two more goals later in the period to make it a 6-2 final.
This was probably the worst game the Red Wings have played this season. They had some decent fight for about three-quarters of the second period but even then it was only the top line and the third line doing anything. It's important to note that while the team in front of him didn't help at all, Alex Lyon didn't give the team the help he had been so far this season either. The Berggren/Kasper/Rasmussen line were all in the top five players of this game analytically. Unfortunately, they seem to have gotten bitten by the most roided-out snake I have ever seen.
Nov. 2, 2024
Game 11: Buffalo @ Red Wings
1-2 Red Wings Win
SOG: 32-23 Buffalo
Starting Goaltenders: Cam Talbot v Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Lineup vs. the Sabres. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/S160ovIdJk
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 2, 2024
The Red Wings came into this game looking to snap their three-game losing skid while the Sabres were looking to snap their two-game losing skid. Justin Holl would be the healthy scratch for this game with Gustafsson coming back in and pushing Johansson to the right side.
The first period started with Cam Talbot having to make two "Vezina-caliber" saves 58 seconds into the game. "Oh no, it's gonna be one of those games," I thought to myself. Thankfully, they managed to settle things down pretty quickly and were able to get pressure in the Sabres zone soon after. Both teams would go back and forth with putting pressure on each other until Beck Malenstyn would try to hold Gustafsson closer like a tiny dancer forcing a Red Wings power play.
The power play looked good to start with a sequence of events that in pure Red Wings fashion, Luukkonen would make an initial good save, the puck would get behind him, bounce around a few times off of three players' sticks and the Sabres would clear. The Red Wings would then collect the puck again and Seider would drop it back to Dylan Larkin, who would make a play he's made hundreds of times on the power play. Unfortunately, Alex Tuch would read that play perfectly and poke-check Larkin to give himself a breakaway that he would score on making it 1-0 for the rest of the period despite the Red Wings best offensive efforts.
The second period was the same formula, The Red Wings and Sabres had some really fun back-and-forth play for the first seven minutes until Owen Power decided that Jonatan Berggren needed a bit of a chiropractic back adjustment and gave the Red Wings their second powerplay of the night. it took all of 30 seconds for Larkin (6) to tie the game by throwing it underneath the pad of Luukkonen assisted by Patrick Kane (6) who stripped the puck from a Sabres defender to get the puck to Larkin in the first place.
We had some more back and forth with some incredible saves by both goalies took place. Until Jack Quinn decided that a fan deserved a game puck mid-play, sending the Red Wings back to the power play with about just over five minutes left in the period. Just 13 seconds later, Dylan Larkin (7) would score his second of the game, assisted by DeBrincat (4) and Raymond (10), with some beautiful puck movement to take a 2-1 lead which they would hold going into the third period.
The third period was essentially a copy and paste of the first two periods minus the goals—a great back-and-forth with good chances for both sides. Alex Tuch, who was a massive thorn in the Red Wings side in this game, would show off his skill by making two incredible saves It's in the crease and managing to get the puck away from the net all on his own. The Sabres would pull their goalie with a bit over two minutes left in the period but, unfortunately for the Sabres, Cam Talbot and the Red Wings defense would hold on to break the three-game skid with a 2-1 regulation win.
This was the team we were promised before the season started. A high-octane top six who can take the reins of a game when needed. The entire defense played well today, although, the Chiarot/Petry pairing has failed Time and time again. I've been saying for a while now, separately they're good to great players, but together their styles don't mesh well at all and the only player slower than them is Justin Holl.
Kasper and Berggren continue to get good chances, but nothing the puck luck just isn't there for whatever reason. One thing I do know for sure. If you get that line going along with the top line, this team is gonna be an issue to play against.
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