Hey, the Wings won 4-3 in OT! Let’s see how they got there.
First Period
Things started off fairly well for the Wings creating chances and keeping Edmonton from getting transition. Just about seven minutes in we got the first big Kronwalling of the season as the Swedish wrecking ball caught Mark Letestu turning up ice in his own zone and blasted him with a big clean shoulder-to-shoulder hit that made the Oilers players mad. This earned the Red Wings a power play opportunity that only lasted 95 seconds before Larkin took a hooking call that the Wings killed off well.
The rest of the period featured a number of good scoring chances by pretty much every line, as well as a couple dangerous chances for the Oilers, specifically a good shot by Nugent-Hopkins that Howard wasn’t entirely sure he had (hint: he did have it).
With 47 seconds left, Darren Helm forced Jordan Eberle into a holding call that created a carryover powerplay for the Wings. Overall Detroit ran that period, but couldn’t score.
Score: 0-0
Shots: 9-4 Red Wings
Good Period: Ericsson, Green, Nyquist, Datsyuk, Helm
Tough Period: Larkin, Miller
Second Period
The Wings carry on the momentum into the 2nd but can’t score on the man advantage. Finally the Wings break the tie at 5:11 into the period as Tatar gains the zone, gets taken out, and then feeds it to Green jumping in on the play. Green makes a good move to get the puck to the net-front which Talbot stops. Fortunately, Sheahan and Nyquist are right there and Goose knocks it home. The goal stands after a short challenge and it’s 1-0 Wings.
The middle part of the period continued to go well for the Wings, with yet another missed opportunity for Drew Miller to score his first goal of the season. You don’t really get to call a 4th line grinder “snakebitten”, but that’s where we’re heading with him. Fortunately, Tomas Tatar isn’t snakebitten, as he snipes one top corner on Talbot at 12:07 to give the Wings’ a 2-0 lead. Sadly it doesn’t last as 15:17 into the period, Pakarinen finds the Wings’ net on a cross-ice feed that ends a period of running around in the Wings’ zone.
Next up, Luke Glendening takes a tripping call and the Oilers tie the game after catching all four Wings’ PKers at or below the goal line and then feeding it out to Sekera all alone in front for a one-timer past Howard to make it 2-2.
Just when you thought the Wings were going to go into the intermission with a big lead in shots and no lead o the scoreboard, Henrik Zetterberg made a beautiful zone-entering pass to Dylan Larkin to spring him behind the defense. Larkin goes backhand-forehand across Talbot’s crease and puts it through him to make it 3-2.
Score: 3-2 Wings
Shots: 25-15 Wings
Good Period: Tatar, Nyquist, Green
Tough Period: Miller, Smith, Glendening
Third Period/Overtime
The Oilers came out with all the momentum in the early part of the third with the Wings making occasional push-back. The Oilers get it tied with another goal by Pakarinen off a Darren Helm defensive zone turnover created by trying to dangle a guy in front of his own net. Helm doubled down on the mistake by helping prevent Kronwall from getting to the puck too.
Detroit didn’t create enough push to untie it late and it went to OT. The Oilers got a few good looks, but the most dangerous chances belonged to Helm and Tatar. Neither found the net.
The OT started with Zetterberg-Larkin-Kronwall as the Wings’ three players. Detroit won the faceoff and pulled back to group in, which almost turned disastrous as Kronwall handed the puck away to Nugent-Hopkins in front of the net. Fortunately, Kronwall kept him from getting a scoring chance and the Wings regained control as Larkin sped up the wing joined by Kronner. The two entered the zone together, Larkin feeds Kronwall, and Kronwall fires it back inside the far post as Talbot slides too far over. Just 26 seconds into the OT period Detroit wins it on Kronwall’s first of the year.
Score: 4-3 Red Wings
Shots: 32-24 Good guys
Good Period: Larkin, Datsyuk
Tough Period: Helm, Abdelkader, Miller
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Final Thoughts
- Seems oddly familiar that the Wings go from a defensively-solid team that can’t score to a scoring team that can’t hold leads. We’ve been watching this for a few years. Detroit has to figure out how to extend leads before blowing them.
- I’ve been one of Drew Miller’s biggest fans since he’s come around, but as of tomorrow night (after the Griffins game), Tomas Jurco will be returning to the team after beating up on the AHL for two weeks. When I think of the collective of all of Drew Miller’s blown scoring chances, I think the overall effect of that is worse than the positives he’s brought elsewhere. I don’t necessarily want Jurco on the fourth line, but I’d happily see Miller sit.
- We’ve gone a few games since we’ve had a completely comforting performance by our goalies. The first Pakarinen goal was a beauty of a feed, the Sekera PP goal was some brutally bad PK coverage, but I thought Howard getting beaten short side for the second goal by Pakarinen was one that’s not entirely forgivable, despite the awful play by Helm and Kronwall on that sequence.
- Brad Richards continues doing good things, but I’m still not entirely sold on that line with Datsyuk and Pulkkinen. at one point, Blashill moved Helm up there to see if it would spark things. That line creates some real good puck control, but for some reason it always seems like three playmakers trying to feed each other for an easy tap-in. Somebody’s got to get into the blast lanes there and that someone is Pulkkinen.
- The Tatar-Sheahan-Nyquist line was real real pretty in the offensive zone in this game.
- Dylan Larkin is your Red Wings player of the game.
Wings are off tomorrow and then return Sunday against Florida. We’ll see you there!
