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The place only a mother could love: Wings drop 4-2 decision in Chicago

Posted on by J.J. FromKansas

The Wings have yet to win a game in 2020 and are in Chicago for try #2 on that road. The good news is the game won’t be filled with commercials for law firms or Soaring Eagle Casino, but unfortunately the price of this benefit is all the unbelievable horseshit we’ll have to put up watching an NBCSN broadcast.

Moms trip back-leg is a go!

First Period

Dylan Larkin takes a tripping penalty on the very first shift and the Hawks ring the post behind Howard who barely manages to avoid kicking it into his own net, but immediately afterwards, things improve drastically. A penalty by Dominik Kubalik sends the Wings to the power play where the top unit scores on an absolute snipe by Filip Zadina picking the top corner short side on Crawford.  1-0 Detroit.

The follow-up goes decently as well, as Darren Helm has the next scoring chance. Chicago recovers some momentum, but Brendan Perlini comes out with a strong shift, stealing the puck off Dennis Gilbert for a chance Crawford has to come across to make a stop on and then getting another point-blank opportunity.

Detroit does a good job taking away space in the neutral zone through the midpoint of hte period, but give a prime chance as Hronek takes a questionable step up in the zone and gives up an odd-man rush. Fortunately, he also makes up for it by blocking a shot on a scoring chance that comes. Just after, Bertuzzi and Fabbri get an odd-man where Fabbri is taken down with no call.

The Hawks start pouring pressure on after this point and Howard makes up for the defensive lapses that are starting to show. We get a reprieve from this as Connor Murphy high-sticks Zadina and gives the Wings another PP chance. The top unit creates a few good looks with Fabbri working the point, but nothing doing past Crawford and Chicago returns to even strength.

On the next shift, the Glendening line wins an offensive zone faceoff. Abdelkader gets a net-side scoring chance stopped, but the Wings retain possession. Nemeth receives the puck at the point and quickly fires towards the front where Luke Glendening tips it while being knocked over. Crawford can’t stop the deflection and it’s 2-0 Detroit.

Just after the goal, the refs give Chicago a power play on a trip by Mike Green. Pierre says it looks like a slew-foot and I say he’s full of donkey doodie. Howard has to come up real big on Debrincat early in the advantage. The rest of the two minutes is pretty much Filip Hronek putting on a PK clinic with his stick in lanes and body positioning.

The Score: 2-0 Detroit
The Shots: 12-8 Chicago
Standout Players:  Brendan Perlini, Filip Hronek, Filip Zadina
The Period All Summed Up: Chicago didn’t play badly enough to be losing by two but I don’t care because I don’t like Chicago.

Second Period

Chicago comes out flying to start the second only to once again have their momentum arrested by an offensive zone penalty. This time it’s Toews tripping Glendening.  This PP begins and ends looking ok but it does end after two minutes. Almost immediately after Dach and Debrincat nearly get on the board if not for a lucky puck bounce.

From here things settle into a familiar rhythm with both teams jamming up the ice the best they can. Several nice plays by Darren Helm to doggedly pursue the puck and prevent the Hawks from doing anything smart with it.  We come out of the first commercial break with Glendening-Ehn-Abdelkader doing good work in the zone to ping the crossbar behind Crawford. Shortly after, Dach continues to stand out by drawing a penalty on Lashoff breaking into the zone. Chicago’s top unit keeps it in the zone for the whole two minutes but can’t string plays together to completion and Lashoff escapes unscathed.

Sadly, the unscathening doesn’t last forever and Dylan Strome breaks the shutout with a snipe from the circle to make it 2-1 Red Wings. Larkin’s line with the blown coverage, specifically Robby Fabbri.

On the very next shift, Dylan Sikura finds a rebound and an open net for a 2-2 game. Wings playing grab-ass all over their own end.

To the team’s credit, the Red Wings don’t give up a THIRD goal in the next 45 seconds. In fact, they manage to push back pretty well, even managing to get the last scoring chance of the period before we hit the break.

The Score: 2-2 tie
The Shots: 18-13 Hawks (8-5)
Standout Players: Darren Helm,
The Period All Summed Up: It was a second period. You know how these go.

Third Period

All tied up and anybody’s game. Just over a minute in, Kubalik breaks in alone and tries to slide it backhand five-hole on Howard. Jimmy shuts the pads and we continue at 2-2.  Just over a minute later, Dylan Larkin jumps on a turnover and fires just wide. One shift later, Larkin’s line is again dangerous on a feed to a trailing Daley for another near-miss.

I haven’t complained too much about the reffing in this season and would be remiss if I didn’t mention that at one point Hronek gave Toews a few cross-checks I think he was lucky to get away with, but around the 7-minute mark, Duncan Keith blatantly plays a stick that Perlini dropped away from the player and the refs simply ignore this. I don’t know why I’m so mad about this but here we are.

Minutes later, Trevor Daley is hobbled blocking a shot and unable to get back up. Right as the Wings start to adjust to Daley being down, he gets back up and helps screen an Adam Boqvist shot to make it 3-2 Blackhawks.

Darren Helm probably cost himself POTG on this play.

The Wings do push back, but the Hawks have at least four NHL-caliber forwards and more than two defensemen so it’s very hard for the Wings to generate anything against them. To be perfectly honest, Debrincat, Strome, and Dach are most of whats’ driving Chicago through much of this game and the Wings’ own young guns aren’t creating enough. As the period winds down, Chicago starts exploiting an increasingly-desperate opponent, forcing several last-second stops by defenders and goalie alike.

Blashill pulls Howard with 2:32 left on an offensive zone draw. 25 seconds left, he comes back on because the Wings play the puck with a high stick trying to gain the neutral zone/prevent an empty-netter.  He gets back off 20 seconds later when Detroit establishes the zone. Later on, Kane trips Green but Chicago can’t put it in the open net on this play.

20 seconds later they can. 4-2 Hawks on the Kubalik empty-netter.

Final Score: 4-2 Hawks
The Shots: 27-21 Hawks (9-8)
Standout Players: Nah
The Period All Summed Up: Just not enough.

Wings will face Ilya Kovalchuk and the Habs on Tuesday.

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