Following their 4-3 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday evening, the Detroit Red Wings wanted to come out with a stronger and more determined effort in the rematch on home ice at Little Caesars Arena.
Advertisement
Instead, Detroit sleepwalked for most of the matinee game, registering only 12 shots on goal and ultimately losing by a 4-`1 final score in what was one of their most listless performances of their centennial campaign.
The Red Wings, who didn’t get their first official shot until the first period was well past the halfway point, dropped both contests against the Penguins by a combined 8-4 score and earned only one of a possible four points.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Longtime Red Wings nemesis Sidney Crosby picked up his fourth point in two games against Detroit, setting up Pontiac, Mich. native Bryan Rust for the game’s opening goal at the 3:44 mark of the opening 20 minutes of play.
Advertisement
Distracted by a line change, the Red Wings didn’t pick up Penguins forward Yegor Chinakhov, who took a pass from Ben Kindel and broke in alone on John Gibson, beating him to increase the lead to 2-0. His tally would also ultimately stand up as the game-winner.
Alex DeBrincat brought the Red Wings back to within a goal with his 21st tally of the season, as he beat Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner on a two-on-one rush at the 15:06 mark of the second period.
Detroit had a brief spell of life, and came within an inch of knotting the score after hitting the post on a subsequent power-play chance.
However, it’s as close as they’d get. Detroit managed only three total shots in the third period and got no sustained zone pressure when Gibson was pulled for an extra attacker; the Penguins sealed the win with empty-net goals from Rickard Rakell and Connor Dewar.
Advertisement
Gibson finished with 27 saves, while Skinner stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced.
The Red Wings will next head out on the road for their first matchup of the season against the Ottawa Senators on Monday evening.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
Image
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
