Follow me on Twitter
Detroit played their 2nd game in 24 hours tonight. The teams now have to fly back to Detroit on the off day and suit up for another game on Thursday. It’s a grind to get through the rescheduled contests due to a tough start for Dallas. The Stars are coming into their own and seem to be finding the confidence that saw them in the cup finals last season.
The opening period was brutal. Detroit outshot the Stars, but the talented group netted three goals and added a fourth in the second period. The score would seem to indicate the ice was “tilted”, but it wasn’t at all. Detroit unfortunately allowed the game to be “run and gun”, and that’s not a style this squad is able to win right now.
A quick word on Vrana. Jakub has one of the more perfect skating strides in the league. He’s fast, and loves to play on the rush. In his first game, he scored on a post PK breakaway (he had three shots on net in that game). During the shuout loss to the ‘Hawks, Vrana registered just one shot on net. Tonight, the speedy winger didn’t register a single shot in almost 20 minutes of play (Hronek had 6 SOG). In three games Vrana has a total of 4 shots on net but managed to get a goal and an assist. That pace isn’t sustainable.
Vrana, in horse racing terms, doesn’t like to run “in the slop”. Once the ice turns into sand and the game is a grind, it’s a strain for him to create opportunities. Apart from having trouble generating shots, he has 6 giveaways in three games. This system is going to be a strain for him. But, with the amount of speed he can generate, there has to be a way to help him find success long term (assuming he signs a multi year extension this summer).
Larkin had a beautiful wrist shot to get the team within two. The team kept playing until the end, and that’s a very good sign. Also, for the second game in a row, they scored multiple goals. They are grinding and finding a way to get on the board. It’s not pretty, but it’s a good sign that no one is mailing it in with only 8 contests left.
Again, the score tonight doesn’t really indicate how the team played. Dallas is just too talented on the rush to trade chances with. For Detroit to have success they have to keep skaters at the perimeter and limit turnovers. The stars, too often, had a skater behind the team waiting in the neutral zone for a stretch pass. The defense has to adjust and leave one man back. Cogliano just barely missed a beautiful shootout style breakaway. The Maple Leafs are another team that plays that style very well. Usually Austin Matthews is waiting at the blue line for the stretch pass. Sydney Crosby has scored many goals this way too. If Detroit faces the whole league next season, they have to address the missed assignments with a Dman outside of the blue line. It can limit the attack, but it will pay dividends in cutting off those opportunities.
The Red Wings have a lot to be proud of. Even though it’s another tough rebuild year, the guys are still gutting it out. the commitment to defense made a big difference in goals and opportunities against, and the team was able to score a little bit more. Continuing to close that gap is going to lead to better days.
Here’s hoping that Larkin is ok. He’s played hurt the entire season. It’s a testament to his Character that he wants to be out there. Hopefully a long summer of conditioning and physical therapy will have the group 1 year wiser and 1 year stronger going into the 21-22 season. They have battled in a very tough division, and haven’t given up on each other. Yzerman is building a team, and it will be worth watching.
Link verbiage
Link verbiage
Link verbiage
Follow me on Twitter
Detroit played their 2nd game in 24 hours tonight. The teams now have to fly back to Detroit on the off day and suit up for another game on Thursday. It’s a grind to get through the rescheduled contests due to a tough start for Dallas. The Stars are coming into their own and seem to be finding the confidence that saw them in the cup finals last season.
The opening period was brutal. Detroit outshot the Stars, but the talented group netted three goals and added a fourth in the second period. The score would seem to indicate the ice was “tilted”, but it wasn’t at all. Detroit unfortunately allowed the game to be “run and gun”, and that’s not a style this squad is able to win right now.
A quick word on Vrana. Jakub has one of the more perfect skating strides in the league. He’s fast, and loves to play on the rush. In his first game, he scored on a post PK breakaway (he had three shots on net in that game). During the shuout loss to the ‘Hawks, Vrana registered just one shot on net. Tonight, the speedy winger didn’t register a single shot in almost 20 minutes of play (Hronek had 6 SOG). In three games Vrana has a total of 4 shots on net but managed to get a goal and an assist. That pace isn’t sustainable.
Vrana, in horse racing terms, doesn’t like to run “in the slop”. Once the ice turns into sand and the game is a grind, it’s a strain for him to create opportunities. Apart from having trouble generating shots, he has 6 giveaways in three games. This system is going to be a strain for him. But, with the amount of speed he can generate, there has to be a way to help him find success long term (assuming he signs a multi year extension this summer).
Larkin had a beautiful wrist shot to get the team within two. The team kept playing until the end, and that’s a very good sign. Also, for the second game in a row, they scored multiple goals. They are grinding and finding a way to get on the board. It’s not pretty, but it’s a good sign that no one is mailing it in with only 8 contests left.
Again, the score tonight doesn’t really indicate how the team played. Dallas is just too talented on the rush to trade chances with. For Detroit to have success they have to keep skaters at the perimeter and limit turnovers. The stars, too often, had a skater behind the team waiting in the neutral zone for a stretch pass. The defense has to adjust and leave one man back. Cogliano just barely missed a beautiful shootout style breakaway. The Maple Leafs are another team that plays that style very well. Usually Austin Matthews is waiting at the blue line for the stretch pass. Sydney Crosby has scored many goals this way too. If Detroit faces the whole league next season, they have to address the missed assignments with a Dman outside of the blue line. It can limit the attack, but it will pay dividends in cutting off those opportunities.
The Red Wings have a lot to be proud of. Even though it’s another tough rebuild year, the guys are still gutting it out. the commitment to defense made a big difference in goals and opportunities against, and the team was able to score a little bit more. Continuing to close that gap is going to lead to better days.
Here’s hoping that Larkin is ok. He’s played hurt the entire season. It’s a testament to his Character that he wants to be out there. Hopefully a long summer of conditioning and physical therapy will have the group 1 year wiser and 1 year stronger going into the 21-22 season. They have battled in a very tough division, and haven’t given up on each other. Yzerman is building a team, and it will be worth watching.
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»