Going into last night’s game, the Red Wings were coming off of a couple of days of rest after their worst loss of the season- ready to redeem themselves. Whether it was being well-rested, motivated to not lose in a blowout, or anything in between- the Red Wings played a much better game than their last. So, what went right last night and who were the MVPs that kept this game close until the end?
Power play
In what felt like an eternity, the Red Wings power play was successful. Out of the three power play opportunities that they were given, goals were scored on two of them. Half of the Red Wings goals last night were scored on the power play which has been struggling for quite some time. On the flip side of the coin, the penalty kill was only 50% effective and the Rangers capitalized on their second power play of the game. The Red Wings only took two penalties throughout the game but were unable to keep a perfect penalty kill record.
Alex Nedeljkovic
Ned had a pretty solid night while most of the goals scored on him were nothing he could do too much to stop. He was a player who definitely benefited from a couple days rest between games after his back-to-back starts over the weekend. Tonight still wasn’t his best night but compared to Sunday’s game he was in a much better position overall. Blocking 29 of 34 shots for a .853 SV% was the higher of the two goalie performances last evening and a pretty good game for Ned to get back on his horse. Most notable moment of the game for him would be his beautiful blocker save on a shot from Zibanejad in which he had to fully extend into a slide to get to.
Moritz Seider and Jakub Vrana
Seider was a gem as always- just a jack of all trades and overall crucial presence on the ice. With assists on the goals from Vrana and Bertuzzi, Seider was named the second star of the game for his point tally in addition to his defensive play in front of Nedeljkovic. Jakub Vrana’s goal was an absolutely beautiful play between him and Moritz Seider. Seider got his defenseman slightly out of position which opened a passing lane up, allowing him to make a glorious cross-ice pass to Vrana who finished it off from the glove side circle. The release and placement of his shots is something special every single time- there’s not another player on this team with that kind of a shot that’s for sure.
Honorable mentions
Of all people to open up scoring for the Wings it was indeed Michael Rasmussen. His ninth goal of the season, Rasmussen was assisted by none other than Danny DeKeyser and Taro Hirose to kick up the momentum for Detroit. Danny DeKeyser had just returned from a stint on IR after he was placed on waivers early in March and went right back to his spot on the first line defense with Seider. Tyler Bertuzzi got the second power play goal of the night and gave Detroit the lead for about half of the second period. Followed by Adam Erne who got the fourth and final goal for Detroit which could’ve been the game winner’ if power play goal expert Chris Kreider wasn’t given the chance to work his magic.
Overall
This game was a well-needed average looking game for Detroit. The score was head-to-head the entire game which forced overtime and that is the polar opposite of what happened on Sunday. Faceoffs were being won, shots were being taken, goals were being scored, and things did not look horrendous. By no means was this a great game for the Red Wings because they were keeping up with a pretty decent Rangers team, although they were outplayed more so after the first period.
The most upsetting detail of this game is the huge missed call in overtime on Adam Fox as he had Dylan Larkin in some kind of a weird pinned down, grabby situation. Had the penalty been called, there is a much greater chance the ending of this game could’ve been happier but there’s no way to undo what’s already been done.
Although it was not their best game, this game can serve as a good stepping stone for the team’s confidence heading into Friday’s home game against the Senators. Coming off of four consecutive losses, the Red Wings don’t just want a win- they need one.