The streak of nightmarish hockey continued for the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night in Buffalo. Back in a playoff spot and in desperate need for points, the Wings put up a real stinker against the Sabres, who just might manage to catch them in the standings if the losing continues.
No fight, no guts… No goaltending. Just about everything went wrong for Detroit in this game. Now the team is looking at six losses in a row.
1st Period
The Red Wings were walloped pretty much the entirety of the period, and it shows in the score. Buffalo opened scoring just over a minute into the game, then would score another only to have it called back. Down 1-0, the Red Wings would surrender another goal around the 10-minute mark to make it 2-0.
A few minutes later, a great breakout from Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren put Ben Chiarot in the sweet-spot to make it 2-1:
Shift in momentum? No way. Buffalo pulls back to a two-goal lead on the stick of Zach Benson. Two and a half minutes later, it’s 4-1 with Jeff Skinner picking up his 21st goal of the season. Lyon gets pulled, Reimer is in.
Looking for positives? Me too. I guess the Wings PK, and hooray Ben Chiarot? Otherwise, an overall gut-less 20 minutes of hockey from Detroit.
2nd Period
This was another ugly period from the Red Wings.
Buffalo picks up back-to-back goals in the first 10 minutes of the second period. Bowen Byram picked up a multi-goal game around the nine-minute mark, and Lucas Raymond would answer just a matter of seconds later with his 18th goal of the season. A power-play goal for the Wings, but it’s still 6-2 at this point:
The Wings once again failed to build momentum from their goal, and eventually let JJ Peterka pick up his 21st of the season. 7-2, Buffalo.
No positive thoughts, just chickenshit hockey from the Wings. Sorry to be harsh, but it’s true. To throw salt on the wound, the Wings announced during the second intermission that Joe Veleno would not return to the game. Here’s the play that presumably took him out of the game:
3rd Period
A five-goal deficit is pretty much impossible to overcome at this point. By now, I’ve lost interest and focus on the game. Detroit’s PK was the lone bright spot in this game. Buffalo went 0-4 on the PP, including a chance in the third period.
Jake Walman, back in the lineup after being scratched last game, would manage to register a goal for the Wings, but that was too little too late:
FINAL: 7-3, Buffalo.
If this ain’t rock-bottom, it’s pretty damn close. Six straight losses for the Wings who continue to grasp onto a playoff spot for dear life. They’re back in action on Thursday. Wouldn’t get your hopes up, though. Not the way this team is playing right now.
