Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators: Recap, Grades & Opinions
The Red Wings took on the Senators without D-Boss. Find out how the Wings fared without their little star on a dark, snowy night in Ottawa.
Here come the Detroit Red Wings into Ottawa, hoping to break a 5 game losing streak on the road and losing streak in general. During the morning skate, it is announced that Dylan Larkin is ill and is a game-time decision. In the end, Larkin didn’t play in this game, causing a different set of lines to roll out with less speed. That wasn’t the news anyone wanted, but crap happens… Which is basically the motto for the entire game tonight. 1-2-3 LET’S RECAP:
First Period:
This period was anything but exciting; matter of fact, it was nerve wracking. Overwhelming feelings of fear settled on the fan base when Patrick Wiercioch’s wicked shot ended up hitting the head of Petr Mrazek. After immediately taking a knee with the trainer at his side, all eyes were on him to see if he would be okay… Thankfully, he decided he was okay to play the rest of this game.
Later, Gustav Nyquist had the bright idea to slash Dion Phaneuf behind the play, giving the Senators the first power play of the game. On the penalty kill, Detroit keeps it on the safe side and clears whenever the opportunity is given. It’s here that the chemistry between DeKeyser and Quincey is highlighted due to the way they seem to be always be an open outlet for one another.
Throughout the period the Red Wings didn’t look too great. Remember that Penguins game we all want to forget? Doesn’t look like the Wings have forgotten about it, and it was dragging the emotional play down. Included in this issue is the amount of turnovers in the vicinity of the Detroit blue line. This is the main reason there seemed to be a large barrier in the way for the breakouts, ultimately harming the entry execution.
Noticing this, Blashill decided to start the defensive blender by putting Green with Ouellet, Smith with Marchenko, and keeping the DeQuincey pairing intact. These pairings offer more of a balance within the defensive group, which can prove to be much more efficient.
The period comes to a scoreless close.
Shots: 9-6 Detroit
Sentence to Describe the Period: “Sometimes in life, you’re gonna start slow”
Grade: C. Slow start and seemed like the puck was be chased the entire 20 minutes. The lack of energy caused a lack of quality scoring chances, but they seemed to improve defensively compared to Thursday’s game.
Next: Second Period