Wings Out Worked By Flames

After watching Montreal collect only a single point on the California trip, the Red Wings had a great opportunity to gain some ground going against an overachieving Calgary squad without their Captain and best player. Despite missing their leader, this was the “most important game of the year so far,” with respect to the Flames' playoff hopes so they would not go away quietly. Going against a tired opponent the Wings jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the 1^st period was half over. Refusing to go down without a fight, the Flames came back to take a 3-2 lead heading into the 3^rd period. We expected the Wings to come out firing all cylinders to start the third, especially after Babcock changed the lines. However, the Flames were rewarded for out working the Red Wings and left the Joe with a big two points and a 5-2 victory.

The Wings dominated the first period but it was solid defensive plays that led to the first goal. After a smart play by newcomer Erik Cole, Abdelkader found his way behind the Calgary defense to catch a beautiful breakaway pass from Zetterberg that he put away with ease. After a good shift in the offensive zone, the Wings received the first power play of the game after Smith was tripped up on the breakout. The Wings needed only 36 seconds on the PP as Zetterberg found Abdelkader at the backdoor to put the Wings up 2-0. After drawing the penalty that lead to the goal, it was Brendan Smith who made a lazy play on the blue line that gave the Flames the man advantage. After a clearing attempt by Kronwall was blocked at the line, the puck found its way to Monahan in front who out waited Howard to make it a one goal game, 2-1 Detroit. The Wings continued to dominate the remainder of the period but were unable to find the back of the net and the lead remained 2-1 Detroit.

The Wings came out strong to start the 2^nd and strong puck possession forced the Flames to call a time out after icing the puck. However after a quick breakout it was the Flames’ Stajan who hammered a rebound past Jimmy Howard to tie the game. The Flames gained some energy after the goal and really tightened up defensively giving the Wings no room. After another solid defensive play by the Flames, it was ex-Red Wing Jiri Hudler who found some room near the right faceoff dot. With Kronwall acting as a screen, there was no hope for Jimmy Howard and the Flames took a 3-2 lead. The Red Wings picked up their play after falling behind; outshooting the Flames 9-1 to end the 3rd but the score remained 3-2 Calgary.

To start the 3^rd Babcock looked to change things up by moving Nyquist up to play with Datsyuk and Tatar. Despite the change, the third line continued their poor defensive play. As a result, Mason Raymond found some space in the high slot where he fired a wrist shot into the back of the net to make it 4-2 Calgary. After taking the two goal lead the Flames got a chance to extend the lead further when DeKeyser was called for covering the puck with his hand. Thankfully, the Wings’ penalty killers were up to the task and the lead remained at two. With just over 5 minutes remaining, the Wings got a power-play opportunity that could decide the game. However, it was the Flames with the best chance as Backlund fired one past Howard that sat directly on the goal line before being covered. With just under 4 minutes remaining, and still on the man advantage, the Wings were forced to pull Howard for the extra skater. Despite the man advantage, Detroit was unable to beat Hiller and it was Hudler who put it in the empty net to give Calgary a 5-2 victory.

Observations:

The 3^rd line (Sheahan Weiss & Nyquist) struggled last game against the Rangers, particularly in the D-zone and still had issues tonight as they found themselves pinned in their end far too often. While they started to find some offense later in the game, they still struggled mightily in the D-zone.

The Zetterberg line was incredible early, getting the two goals and a number of other chances in the first period alone. Cole looked much better as the high guy, using his quickness to jump on loose pucks and create scoring chances.

Jurco did a much better of being physical and obsessing the puck down low tonight. After a one game tryout, he seemed to better understand his role of creating space for Tatar and Datsyuk. Of course, despite the improvement he found himself demoted to the 3^rd line after the Wings’ fell behind.

Ericsson continues to struggle this season; at this point, I am starting to believe he could drastically hinder the team’s chances of making a deep run in the playoffs. Without a stable 1^st pair, Babcock will struggle to matchup against the best teams in the East.

I was very confused by the usage of Zidlicky on the power play. Ideally, in the 1-3-1 setup you place a right-handed shooter on the left half-wall, creating a one-time shot. Instead, the Wings chose to place him on top, forcing Datsyuk to remain on the left side and make plays on his backhand.