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CBJ early dominance and Laine Hat Trick too much for Detroit to overcome |
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Summary:
It felt like Detroit finally plugged into this one at about 5 minutes into the third. All it took was a CBJ defenseman putting one in his own net. Follow up goals from Walman and Raymond had Detroit within one but unable to complete the comeback.
After a very ugly win over Winnipeg followed by a much better looking victory over Toronto, Detroit just came out flat against a team that has had a hard run this year. Blown assignments on defense and constant pressure for the first 2 periods gave Columbus all the offense they needed.
The upside? Walman continues to make shockingly good plays. His keep in and drive to the net that led to Detroit’s second goal was just fantastic. He just seems to be growing into a very confident and aggressive force in the offensive zone. Raymond’s backhand was also a thing of beauty and with 5 minutes left, the game felt within reach.
A friend noted that Detroit was “playing down” to a Columbus team that sits near the very bottom of the standing. I can’t say that isn’t an accurate assessment. In an 82 game season, there are nights when you just aren’t as sharp. Detroit seems to save their better efforts when they’re playing better teams.
The concern comes in, there seem to be a lot of nights where it’s a race to 4 or 5. You can see when the team is engaged, they look completely different. The tempo picks way up and the puck battles are a bit more intense. In truth, it feels like Detroit gave a respectable 15 to 20 minutes of battling tonight.
The team will face last year’s cup champs on Monday afternoon with a back to back that will see them in the 5k seat collegiate ice rink that Arizona is currently operating out of. It will be interesting to see how the team responds after letting one slip where some basic defensive structure could have salvaged at least 1 pt.
Full marks to Columbus. They were ready and did not look like the team indicated by the current standings. Laine has had some turbulent times but tonight looked like the scorer he was projected to be. It’s a bit of a sour note to end the home stand but a necessary reminder of how upside down things can get if you let your guard down in this league.
First Period Detroit goals:
No Detroit goals in first period
Jackets open scoring at near the 13 minute mark after a failed Detroit power play. 1-0 CBJ
A minute later CBJ sores again. 2-0 CBJ
90 seconds later CBJ makes it 3-0
Shots: 13-8 CBJ
Score: 3-0 CBJ
Second Period Detroit goals:
No Detroit goals in Second Period
At 1:32 Laine completes a hat trick. 4-0
Shots: 22-16 CBJ
Score: 4-0 CBJ
Third Period Detroit goals:
Finally, Detroit gets on the board 5:50 into the 3rd as a CBJ defenseman scores one for the Wings. Credited to Maata with Kubalik and Larkin. 4-1
Wings score again at 7:08 as Walman scores after some nice work to keep the puck from leaving the zone. He skated in and wristed it home. No assist on the play. 4-2
At 15:56 Lucas Raymond scored on a nice back hand. Assists Hronek and Chiarot. 4-3
Shots: 28-25 DET
Score: 4-3 CBJ
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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