Riding a 5-game point streak, the Red Wings enter “Tank Bowl II” vs. the Senators, who have subsequently won 4 of 6. The Senators won Tank Bowl I back in late-October 5-2 at their place, the only meeting of the year. To the LCA.
1st Period
Bernier vs. Nilsson. Brown vs. Larkin. And the puck is down in Detroit. As Ken Daniels thankfully points out, this is Ericsson’s first home game since March 7th. Neat. Ah, good start as the Sens score. Duclair got a high arcing pass right at the blue line from Chabot. He caught it, dropped and split both Ericsson (shocking) and Bowey, who were standing there watching, and then deked out Bernier. 1-0 Senators. And right back come the Red Wings. Hronek takes a drop pass from Mantha and rips a wrister past Nilsson far side, top shelf. Wait now. Ottawa challenging for offsides. Replay shows Bertuzzi’s skate is just off the blue line. And it was confirmed by the refs. He also had nothing to do with the play. Was on the complete other side of the zone. Whatever. Make-up call as Helm got tripped and we go to the PP. Hahahaha. Wings take a penalty 5 seconds into the PP. It was Filppula. 4-on-4 for 1:55. Refs really feeling themselves today. Terrible call too. ANOTHER penalty to the Wings. Interference on Bowey, who’s having a brutal game so far. 4-on-3 for 15 seconds. 1st TV timeout.
So Wings kill off the 4-on-3 then the 5 second 5-on-3 so back to a usual PP for the worst PP in the NHL. Wings kill it off and let’s hope the refs stop making the game about themselves. Larkin blatantly hooked right after Bowey gets out of the box and no call, the refs must have listened to me. FABBRI AGAIN!! A bouncing puck made its way to him in his office, on a pass from Filppula, it squeaked through Nilsson and Brown kicked it in after fanning on the clearing attempt. 1-1! 2nd TV timeout.
Much slower pace now coming out of the timeout, don’t even think there’s been a shot on goal in over 3 minutes. Tyler Ennis cut and crashes the net, Bernier fell over, the puck was lost but somehow it didn’t go in, or maybe it did. Either way it’s going to be reviewed. Replay shows that puck crossed the line. HOWEVER, Ennis literally ran Bernier over, who gloved it in the net. It was inches from a great save. This should be goalie interference even if it is a good goal. And that’s exactly what was called. Puck crossed the line, but there was goalie interference so no goal. Ay yi yi. Final TV timeout.
Fabbri with another chance in the low slot off a bouncing puck, but fanned on the attempt. Delayed penalty on Hirose for interference, can’t imagine his confidence is in a good place this year. SHORRRRTY!!! Helm and Filppula had a 2-on-1, the defenseman on Filppula tripped over the blue line and he sniped top corner off the feed from Helm. 2-1 Detroit. Wow on replay Fil got away with MAJOR interference to hold off the D-man chasing him down, who I said tripped. Wings kill off the penalty. Haha and the Senators take a penalty late after Bernier made a glove save, White took a swipe at his glove, Bernier tapped him on the leg and then a mad scrum ensued. We’ll take it. 34.2 seconds left in the 1st so could be some carryover time. And of course there will be. End of a wild 1st. Fun stuff.
Shots: 13-10 OTT
Score: 2-1 DET
2nd Period
1:25 of carryover time for the Red Wings PP trying to add to their 2-1 lead here as we start the 2nd. Best chance of the PP was a 2-on-1 from the Senators to give you an idea of how the Red Wings power play looked. Back to 5-on-5. LGD stole the puck behind the net threw it out front to Nielsen LOOKING FOR HIS FIRST POINT OF THE YEAR and he put it right in the belly of Nilsson. $5.25M guys. $5.25M. Thanks Holland! Senators score. Lot of people scuffling at center ice, Hronek appeared to be banged up too, and Duclair picked up a lose puck enter the zone 1-on-1 with Green, danced him and Bernier let in just a real bad goal five-hole. 2-2. Namestnikov and Mantha both go off for slashing each other on the ensuing faceoff. 4-on-4 now. Larkin with a terrible giveaway in the Sens zone and JG Pageau turns on the jets, gets a breakaway and goes five-hole on Bernier. Yep, 2 five-hole goals on Bernier. 3-2 Senators. 1st TV timeout with 11:20 to go.
Sens score again. Jonathan Bernier is just awful. Duclair (AGAIN) skated into the zone down below the goal line and sent it out front to Tkachuk. Yes, it was supposed to be Cholowski’s man, but Bernier was so poorly out of position it was a wide open net. 4-2 Senators. 2nd TV timeout with the Sens really controlling things. Mickey is going off on the changing of the hockey Canada age-division names that Ken brought up all this off-the-rails inclusion nonsense. I love it. Red Wings PP after Logan Brown takes a hooking penalty. And the power play, shockingly, does nothing. Game is really slowing down to a snails pace as the Sens continue to outshoot the Red Wings pretty significantly. Final TV timeout.
Red Wings penalty now with under 4 to go in the period as Perlini takes a hooking call. Both teams PP’s have been atrocious tonight so lets see if the Sens can change that here. Frans Nielsen STINKS. He had a 2-on-0 shorthanded chance with LGD, got the feed with a WIDE OPEN net and he put it in the pad as Nilsson slid across the crease. Please buy him out, waive him, trade him. Do something! Sens get a couple decent chances on the PP but either fanned on the shot attempts or sent everything wide. End of the 2nd in a period the Red Wings were miserably outplayed, by the Ottawa Senators….
Shots: 30-22 OTT
Score: 4-2 OTT
3rd Period
Okay let’s get this over with. They announced Helm is questionable to return with a lower-body injury. Larkin is back after being banged up late in the 2nd too so that’s certainly good. Red Wing offense has been silent since they went up 2-0 and that really needs to change if they want to come back. Duclair looking for the hat trick as he tried to wrap around to a wide-open net thanks to Bernier’s awful positioning and thankfully Hirose had a stick there to knock it away. Wings outshooting the Sens 6-0 in this period so far so that’s better. 1st TV timeout.
Red Wings outshooting Ottawa 10-0 now in the 2nd, the problem is the Sens are doing a great job of keeping them wide and none of their shots have been Grade-A, most haven’t even been Grade-B. Yes, poor joke, but I just watched the entire Wings-Sens game. This is what happens. Fabbri shot one through the crease that made it to AA right at the back post and a sliding Nilsson made the save. 6 minutes left now and the Wings have outshot Ottawa 14-0 now in the period. 4 minutes to go now as Ken reports that Mike Green is no longer on the bench too. So Helm and Green are both out. Larkin and Hronek both have been bumped up. And we’re losing 4-2 to the Senators. Great night. Upper body injury for Green and he will NOT return. 3 minutes to go and Bernier is to the bench. BAM! Mantha snipes one off the far post to make it 4-3 with 2:46 to go in the game. Huge, huge, huge.
Puck in deep in the Ottawa zone with 2:30 to go, but the Red Wings hold off on pulling Bernier. Rush up ice now with 1:45 to go and Bernier goes to the bench again. Cholowski hit AA in the slot and he fanned on it. All the way back in the Wings end now under 90 seconds. Wings dump deep and Larkin controls. Mantha shot saved by Nilsson. Puck back out to center. I’m not even thinking I’m just typing. Back in the Sens zone under a minute to go and now right back out. Red Wings just can’t control in Ottawa’s end. Back out to center with 30 seconds left. Finally they have it under 20 seconds. And the pass to the point bouncer over the line. Game over. Outshot the Sens 16-3 in the 3rd, but a lackadaisical 2nd Period the gut-punch. Sens win 4-3. Get rid of Nielsen.
