Away from Joe Louis Arena for the first two contests to start the last season in that building, the Red Wings looked to get things started off right against their divisional foes in the Sunshine State, the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
They did not.
Outshot 74-54 through the first six periods and outscored 10-5, the team traveled back home to the Joe with two nights they would like to forget. In Tampa, they seemed in sync offensively grabbing an early lead at 3-1 on goals from the new guys, Thomas Vanek (2) and Frans Nielsen midway through the contest, only to see it dissipate by the 8:34 mark of the third on a Tyler Johnson power play tally, the second of three man advantage goals on the night. The Lightning would add another for a fourth unanswered goal to eventually win 6-4 in a game Petr Mrazek shined in, (being serious here), stopping 24 of 26 at even strength.
In Florida, Detroit went a good 35 minutes of regulation time without getting a prime scoring chance on Roberto Luongo. It did not help that Vincent Trocheck‘s fifth goal in eight contests against the Wings just a minute into the game went off of Dylan Larkin‘s skate in front of the net and past Mrazek’s open five-hole, but the effort was downright pitiful. Outshot 28-13 through two periods, the passing was definitely out of sync with too many players trying to force things. Prime examples included Brendan Smith‘s pinch that lead to the second goal by Colton Sceviour, the drop pass by Gustav Nyquist on the power play that lead to a clear and Tomas Tatar at the end of his shift throwing a blind dish that could have been used to generate an opportunity on net. All told the team finished with a 38.57% Fenwick-for rating with little no no shots getting to Luongo past Panther bodies and sticks (15 blocked shots). Defensively it was another story with Mrazek (34 saves) again being left out to dry. No one play sums up the miscommunication abound quite like this from the Danny Dekeyser–Mike Green pairing:
Down 0-2 to the two top Atlantic Division teams a season ago, outside of the new additions’ contributions, it was not an encouraging sign for Jeff Blashill‘s second year with problems from 2015-16 seemingly slipping back into the Wings’ game: blown leads, and out of sync offense. Monday night, the team rose to the occasion in the face of adversity against another interdivisional opponent that came into the game 2-0.
For a team that scored five goals or more just eight times last season coming it at 23rd overall in goals-for per game (2.55), it was a welcome sight to see the offense clicking to the tune of a 5-1 win. To put it in perspective, all last season, the Wings won just four games by a three-or-more goal spread signifying their tantalizing amount of one-score results (47!!!). Was the team energized by the final home opener in the Joe’s 37-year history? Probably, but it was encouraging and vital that the team didn’t fall to 0-3 to their Atlantic Division foes. Here are some reminders as to why:
The Road Ahead
Starting tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden, the Wings will embark on a seven-game swing to close out the month that will see them play five home games and two road contests that include playing the likes of the New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues on the road with back-to-backs at home this weekend and next against the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, and the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers respectively.
If you want to know how bad the Wings have been at the Garden recently, let’s just say they’re 0-3-2 there since realignment and have gotten shut out three times in that span. Being 0-3 right now would not be a favorable scenario against Henrik Lundqvist, who owns a .932 save percentage and 2.17 goals against average in ten career games played against Detroit. Though the team owns a 4-1 record at Scottrade Center since 2013 against the Blues, the last two meetings have gone to OT and that team has started 3-0. The Predators boast a top-four in their defense that combined for 38 goals and 179 points last season in P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis. The Bruins have had no problem scoring goals even with Patrice Bergeron missing their first three games, exploding for ten goals combined in their two wins with the David Pastrnak–David Backes–Brad Marchand line lighting the early NHL scoring race up (eight goals, 16 points combined ahead of 10/18).
Bounce-Back Games from Nyquist and Tatar
The critical duo seemed to be quite invisible in Florida, combining for three shots and two assists (both by Nyquist) logging 16:08 and 14:44 respectively in both losses. Coming off of seasons where each saw a significant drop in ice time and shots on goal (Tatar:-56, Nyquist:-34) resulting in their down production, the two were going to be in even more elevated roles with Brad Richards and Pavel Datsyuk retiring. Monday night, we saw what both could bring that resulted in them both scoring 25+ goals in 2014-15.
Nyquist netted his third assist aiding Vanek down low with a subtle stick play that got the puck on his stick so he and Green could do the rest. He forced two turnovers in the offensive zone as well, showing off the intensity and speed that made him such a dangerous scorer just two years ago. Tatar may have been the best Detroit forward on the ice firing five shots on goal while employing quite an aggressive forecheck that saw him hit the post on a one-timer from the right circle on the power play and just miss a tip play at the side of the net again on the man advantage. Defended harder as the game went along, he made two key plays leading to the 3-0 goal, stealing the puck along the right wall and dishing a nice saucer pass from that area as well moments later to punctuate the first period:
While this showing was encouraging, the bigger competition ahead will tell if Nyquist and Tatar can sustain their play and string together consecutive contests like this.
Recent Free Agent Signees Proving Their Worth Early
Green, Darren Helm, and Vanek were signed to three differently received deals in the 2015 and 2016 free agency periods. The first was mightily needed and overall well-received, the second drew groans and many questions (myself included) and last was quite intriguing. All three have played a big role in the Wings’ attack.
Green scored a hat trick for the first time in his career Monday, bringing his point total to five. Last season, the 31-year old scored just seven markers, getting his third on February 4th logging 19:46 of ice time. Through three games with Niklas Kronwall out, Green is back up to 23:43, a number that hasn’t been seen in a full season since 2010-11 where he scored eight goals and 24 points in a 49-game, injury-plagued campaign. Though he is not the 31-goal scorer or 70-pointgetter he once was, having him put up at least 45 points is not unreasonable if he stays healthy, something that would be a boon to a Red Wing defense that had one 30-point scorer last season (Green).
Helm didn’t seem right on Pavel Datsyuk‘s wing in 2015-16. Last season, it took him 25 games to score his second goal in a disappointing 13-goal, 26-point campaign. Back at center, Helm is off to a very promising start with three goals and four points generating solid chemistry with Vanek. He has been off and on early in the face-off dot owning a 15-18 record thus far, (45.5%), but he may need some games to settle back into it after taking just 77 last season. In 2014-15, he had a career year in the dot winning 53.7% of his draws. The back end of his five-year deal worth $3.85 million per season may sting, but right now the decision to keep him has paid off. A 15+ goal season would really do the Wings’ depth attack well, and he’s off to a good start in converting on those breakaways he can create with his speed.
Vanek may be the most impressive of the bunch and the best overall forward so far. Signed on a one-year, $1.2 million contract, he’s been right in the middle of everything from the first two Red Wing goals of the year. His three assists Monday were all set up by the offensive instincts that made him such an elite threat during his time in Buffalo where he scored 25 goals every season from 2005-2012 and 60+ points five times in that span. Two of them were set up by takeaways behind the net leading to precise passes into the slot, and one was quite creative in setting up shop behind the net playing the puck to himself off of the cage before crisply laying it to Tomas Tatar at the sideboards. His power play poise is quite evident as seen with some of the plays he’s been able to make down low and with the puck. For someone who was criticized for his lack of intensity and energy during his time in Minnesota, there is no shortage of that to start his Red Wing career really breathing life into the group up front in his top-nine role.
Even though it is the first two points of the season, down the road, the season’s first win over Ottawa could prove to be crucial to the Wings’ process of cohesiveness as a unit as they power through the first month of the season with tough competition on the way. They say you can’t make the playoffs in the first month, but you could sure miss them, and if the Wings are to play themselves into a contending spot, looking back, a win like this could be crucial.
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