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Pregame Detroit vs St Louis I took a quick look at being concerned regarding physical play tonight. St. Louis put on a display of suspension/ejection worthy dirty and late hits that makes it clear that the Pronger and Tkachuk spirit is alive and well. The only comfort is that most of the thugs in blue won’t desecrate any NHL ice. The problem is that Berggren was lost to injury by some nasty behind the net plays.
Tonight’s game also gave us a first look at Sebastian Cossa and a chance for Raymond and Berggren to build on a first small ice performance. Cossa made a case for everyone who ever criticized drafting a goalie in the first round. It was just awful. His second period was much better, but the third was more of the same. All St. Louis had to do was play as dirty as they wanted and let Ellis do the work. Detroit wasn’t going to get any breaks in net or on special teams.
Raymond was one of the highlights of the contest, scoring 2 (3 for the tournament) and logging heavy minutes. Veleno had some fantastic moments and has clearly put on enough beef to run an Arby’s commercial. He looks a lot stronger out there. Berggren, hopefully, isn’t lost for the rest of camp. Detroit may have to start putting “muscle” on these prospect squads. Dallas and St. Louis both took some nasty shots, though St. Louis was much worse. They look like a squad auditioning for “the longest yard” and could easily have switched to orange jerseys.
I’m glad Seider isn’t in this tournament for this reason. Career AHL (or lower) players try to throw huge hits to get noticed. The Blues got the message after Detroit vs Dallas. This team isn’t loaded with strength. There’s a very real chance that one of the top prospects could lose their spot in camp to a dirty hit. Brattstrom masked a lot of issues for 2 periods in the last game. Cossa just isn’t providing the same at this point in the game. A win can let you forgive a lot of bad play, but tonight it’s not the case. Detroit’s defensive zone play cost them (along with a forgettable performance by Cossa). All goalies will have a bad night. This was just a particularly heinous affair.
The second period was Detroit’s best chance to get back into the game. Unfortunately, Ellis gave a brilliant performance in net and the Wings could not get anything past him. With Berggren out of the game, it was clear that St Louis would continue to try and live off of special teams and cheap shots. It worked well.
An early power play in the third had the Blues comfortably ahead 4-1, and slashes, cross checks, grabs and anything to try and injure a player in red lasted throughout the contest. Detroit’s inability to cause damage offensively made life easy St. Lous. Takedowns/tackles by the St Louis penalty kill went largely ignored by referees as Ellis continued to stymie any attempts. The Blues prospect pool looks more like a team put together on some sort of work release program, and should probably start wearing orange.
With 8:38 left to play, this game is lacking any sort of compelling reason for Red Wings fans to stay tuned in. And then, out of the blue, Lucas Raymond gets his 2nd of the game and 3rd of the tournament. A shot from the blue line finally gets the power play on the board, and Detroit gets within 2. That early goal in the third could come back to haunt them. Raymond is one of the bright spots in the tournament, and is starting to get a lot of social media attention.
Zito took an ill advised penalty in the attacking zone, killing the momentum for Detroit. St Louis scores again on the power play and restores the 3 goal lead. Apparently Detroit hasn’t fired enough coaches who have their hands on the special teams. This game is an abysmal failure in almost every category. For the first time I can remember, I wouldn’t be upset if my internet shut down right about now.
All in all, a forgettable affair. Hopefully Detroit can bounce back for a decent showing against Columbus tomorrow night. Yes, it’s nice to have hockey back, but this one was a tough watch.
Check out my previous posts:
Pregame Detroit vs St Louis
Soderblom and Edvinsson combine for GWG
Detroit is looking for a 2nd straight win,
Detroit won its first game of the prospects tournament
Frolunda won 2-0
Detroit is streaming the prospects tournament
Word on Woodward talks prospect tournament
Givani Smith signs 2 yr 1 way deal at 750k
Up Close with Jared McIsaac
Griffins TV packages are available
Frolunda Drops opener, Oesterle on Wings TV
Word on Woodward with Robby Fabbri
Prospects Camp Roster and Denver Wings
Cholowski signs with Kraken
Simon Edvinsson is picking up points
10 Days Until Prospect Camp
The Atlantic Division is a bit of a gauntlet for a rebuilding team.
Filip Hronek’s 3 year extension
Who’s your newbie? 
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