I get a sense that most of the fanbase was aligned on expectations heading into Saturday night’s game against the Maple Leafs. I thought the Red Wings would play tough, but ultimately get boat-raced by a tough team. Not the case, fortunately! The Wings played a real solid game and managed to collect two points despite starting a third-string goaltender.
An Unexpected Star
It’s not very often that you get a goal from Jeff Petry — well, they got two from the veteran defender in this game. Petry played 19:14 of ice time, was a +3 and led the team in shots with four. He also had three hits, which was also the most for his team. Games like this from Jeff Petry happen once every hundred times. Regularly-scheduled programming will return soon, but for now, we can enjoy the fact that this guy played hero in front of a home crowd.
Husso Gets a Win
This poor goalie hasn’t been able to catch a break lately, even though he’s playing well after a long stretch of injuries. Ville Husso stood tall against a tough Toronto team and posted a .920 SV% and just two goals allowed. This is big for two reasons — confidence, because the Wings are likely going to need Husso again, and potential trade value. The Wings have a lot of depth at goalie this season and if Husso can get reps and look good, who knows what teams would be interested in adding him as a rental.
Give Us Some Mo
Despite the team’s woes, Moritz Seider is playing some of the best hockey of his career so far this season. Having a responsible yet highly-talented partner in Simon Edvinsson has clearly unlocked something for Seider and I believe we’re just seeing the beginning of that. Mo is averaging nearly 25 minutes per night and taking on some of the toughest competition in the league. I do think we need to see some more from him on the power play, but otherwise he has been excellent to watch.
Power-less Play
The Red Wings had three PP attempts but failed to connect — the last time the Wings scored a PP goal was against Ottawa on December 5th. On the bright side, even with this cold streak, the Wings have a top-10 power play.
Honorable Mention: Kane Picks Up A Point
I’ve been real tough on Patrick Kane this season, and deservedly so. Kane picked up an assist and a few SOG against Toronto. This was the first time he achieved a point since November 13. Even factoring in the time he missed, that’s very bad for what is expected of him. If Kane can start producing, it changes the trajectory of this team.
