Two Detroit Red Wings Rookies Make History, But Nobody Is Celebrating
The Detroit Red Wings fall to 1-3-0 on the season with a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Little Caesars Arena. Even though Detroit outshot Seattle 41-25, they still couldn’t get it done in the first game of a back-to-back. Detroit plays at Montreal on Saturday night, Oct. 10. This was a night of milestones, with both William Wallinder and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scoring their first NHL goals. Alex DeBrincat assisted on Wallinder’s goal for his 600th career point.
Emmitt Finnie Earns His Spot at Center
Emmitt Finnie was back at center with 15:37 time-on-ice. Alex DeBrincat and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard were his wingers tonight. Finnie maintained his speed throughout the game, and I think at this point, Detroit should keep him at center. Finnie is a workhorse, and his play style is that of a strong center; him going back to the wing, I think, would be a mistake. DeBrincat played in his 700th career game and 460th consecutive start.
A Lineup Shuffle and a Short Night for Gibson
Axel Sandin-Pellikka was out for tonight’s game, and Sheldon Dries came in at forward for Detroit. It is unclear as to why ASP was not in this game, but it gave Wallinder a steady spot on the second pair with Justin Faulk. This put Detroit in a 12 forwards, 6 defensemen lineup. John Gibson got pulled after allowing four goals in the second period; he ended his night with a .667 save percentage, 10 saves on 15 shots. This was hopefully a one-off performance by our number-one goaltender.
High Flying Chaos
Detroit started this game with high-flying speed and pressure on Seattle’s netminder. Not much set-up offense, but a number of situations caused chaos in front of the net. Viktor Arvidsson, using his net-front presence, put Detroit on the scoreboard first with a power-play goal at 9:19, assisted by Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Arvidsson is turning out to be a great pickup for Detroit, replacing some of the offense lost with Patrick Kane’s exit.
Seattle evened out the scoreboard in the last minutes of the period with a goal by Berkly Catton at 14:52. John Gibson didn’t get all of it and squeaked through his legs; I’m sure Gibson would have loved to have that one back. The first period was a show of speed by Detroit, with some good chances, and even though Detroit outshot Seattle 16-5 in the opening 20 minutes, the first period ended in a tie, 1-1.
Wallinder’s First Goal, DeBrincat’s 600th Point and a Tarasov Debut
The second period began similarly to the first. Detroit showed their speed and caused a ruckus for Seattle. William Wallinder nets his very first NHL goal four minutes in, in just his second NHL game, and again puts Detroit in the lead. This lead was short-lived as Frederick Gaudreau evened the score 39 seconds later. DeBrincat and MBN assisted on the Wallinder goal. DeBrincat gets his 600th point with that assist, but more than likely Wallinder will go home with that puck. With a funny bounce and tip-in by Mackie Samoskevich, Seattle took their first lead of the game.
Frederick Gaudreau increased the gap in score with his second goal of the night, and the Red Wings lost their momentum. Three goals went in on Gibson inside 3:05; this wasn’t all on him, but the speed and pressure Detroit had at the beginning were replaced by missed assignments and mistakes. This was Gibson’s fourth consecutive start this season, and it showed in this game. The bleeding didn’t stop in the second, with Ben Meyers scoring on a 2-on-1 at 14:05. This prompted a goalie change, which was not surprising, and Daniil Tarasov got an unexpected Red Wings debut, his first NHL action for a team other than Columbus or Florida. The end of the second period had the crowd chanting “Sell the Team,” which honestly was expected.
Another First but Not Enough
The Wings didn’t look as bad in the third as they did in the second. They showed desperation, which was warranted, again with lots of speed and some good workmanship, but couldn’t close the gap. Detroit held Seattle to almost nothing through the first half of the period, though the Kraken finished the third with eight shots. Even though Detroit outplayed Seattle for long stretches, Seattle netted another one with a power-play goal, making the score 6-2 with eight minutes left in the game. That goal came on a 5-on-3 Seattle power play, with Keegan Kolesar and Ben Chiarot both in the box, and was scored by Vince Dunn. MBN scores his first NHL goal in a gritty effort, digging in to put the puck across the goal line, which makes two rookies in tonight’s game score their first NHL goals. This game did not go in Detroit’s favor even though it was full of milestones.
Next Up: Detroit Red Wings at Montreal
We outplayed Seattle for most of the game, and Detroit held the shot advantage in all three periods, 16-5, 13-12 and 12-8, but that second period really killed us. Even though this was a tough loss, we got to see fast-paced hockey controlled by Detroit. Arvidsson was my favorite player to watch tonight; he didn’t let up and played with grit, speed, and spunk. Emmitt Finnie continues to show his speed, and I thought he played really well at center. Finnie has the stuff, and in a couple of years he will be a staple in Detroit hockey. We play at Montreal on Saturday night, and it will be crucial that we don’t have a repeat performance against our divisional rivals.
Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.