Facing three of the NHL’s top teams on a three-game road trip, the Detroit Red Wings knew that they were in tough.
Boy were they in tough.
The Wings limped home empty-handed after a 6-3 loss to the Wild Sunday afternoon in Minnesota. They also dropped games to the Columbus Blue Jackets (2-1) and Washington Capitals (6-3) on this winless trip.
The formula to failure was a familiar one in the Red Wings’ repertoire - start slowly, fall behind and then chase the game. Two first-period power-play goals launched the Wild on their way.
“It’s really hard,” forward Anthony Mantha said. “We gave them I don’t know how many power plays, so right there it kind of kills us. They got two or three goals on the power play.
“It’s just hard hockey to come back from. It’s just catch-up hockey’s not the way we want it.”
Minnesota’s power play, which went three-for-four, was the difference that did in the Wings.
“Obviously in the first you go down three times and on two of them they score on,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “It’s hard when you give up two on the PK in the first like that.
“I thought our first period we actually played fine. It was a good road game. I thought we controlled the puck. We didn’t get enough shots but I thought we had the puck in their end five-on-five. I thought five-on-five we were fine but then we took those penalties obviously and hard to kill like that. But I thought we battled back from there.”
Vanek Out The Wings played without right-winger Thomas Vanek, their leading goal scorer with 13, who suffered an ankle injury in Saturday’s loss at Columbus.
“He’s day to day but I don’t know what that means,” Blashill said. “You guys have been around, you know what day to day means. It means he could play Wednesday, it might mean he’s not available for two weeks.”
What he’s really trying to say is that they desperately need Vanek back sooner rather than later.
“I really think he’s a winner,” Blashill said. “He brings lots of poise to our dressing room, so we’re hoping he’ll be available on Wednesday (at home against St. Louis).”
High (Stick) Times The Wings might be playing Wednesday without right-winger Gus Nyquist. Cross-checked to the ice by Minnesota’s Jared Spurgeon in the first period, as Nyquist got to his feet his stick drove into the face of Spurgeon. Nyquist was assessed a double minor for high sticking.
“Well, it was completely accidental,” Nyquist insisted. “Obviously I didn’t mean to do that. My stick gets caught. I’m trying to get body position on him.
“I had no intention of doing that. My stick gets caught. It looks bad but I’m happy he’s OK.”
As to whether he’d face further discipline from the NHL, that will soon be determined. NHL Player Safety tweeted that, "Detroit's Gustav Nyquist has been offered an in-person hearing for high-sticking Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon. Date and time TBD."
“That’s not up to me,” Nyquist said. “That’s out of my hands. I don’t know what to say. It’s out of my hands.”
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