The post Penguins Overpower Red Wings in Pittsburgh appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
Dylan Larkin
It was anything but pretty in Pittsburgh for the Detroit Red Wings, as the Penguins opened up the scoring just four minutes into the game with their first shot of the game. The Penguins soundly
squashed Detroit in a 5-1 decision that has dropped the Red Wings to just over a 25% chance
to make the playoffs this year.
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Rickard Rakell netted the first goal with a shot from the slot. Sidney Crosby dug the puck off the
boards and passed it over to the wide-open Rakell. The second goal was more of a scrum and
effort play as former Red Wing Anthony Mantha got the Pens up 2-0.
The two teams had been battling for the puck around Detroit’s net and John Gibson’s pads, and
after the puck was flipped to the open side, Mantha chipped the puck over Gibson’s shoulder.
A wrist shot from Egor Chinakhov that sailed past Gibson into the net put the Pens up 3-0, and for
the second game in a row, the Red Wings were staring down a three-goal deficit.
It was then that the first period mercifully ended. Cam Talbot would take over in the net for the rest of the game. The veteran netminder allowed two more shots in the Red Wings’ net, though over a longer stretch of time.
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Dylan Larkin, who briefly had to go to the bench after falling awkwardly in the offensive zone,
got the Red Wings’ sole goal of the game early in the second frame. The Red Wings’ captain
netted his 30th goal of the season and surpassed Brendan Shanahan for sixth all-time in the
Red Wings scoring books.
However, Pittsburgh would regain a three-goal lead just under 10 minutes later after Justin Brazeau tipped in Chris Clifton’s shot.
Noel Acciari would seal the game in the third, with another former Red Wing in Elmer Soderblom drawing the secondary assist.
Key Moment
The Red Wings pulled Gibson from the net after the first period in order to inspire offense from
the team. However, the change in netminders only highlighted Detroit’s other issue: They’ve
been reliant on Gibson, their offseason acquisition, standing on his head to win them games.
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Without those kinds of performances, this team doesn’t seem to have the ability to get ahead of
the opposition, and if he plays poorly, they’re going to play poorly.
Key Stat
The Red Wings have given up the first goal to the opposing team te10n times in the past fourteen
games. They’ve let the opposing team score on the first shot of the game twice in a row now, as
well.
In a game that was make or break for the Red Wings playoff hopes, they fell flat and let the opposing team build a multi-goal lead for the second time against Pennsylvania teams this
week.
Key Takeaway
The Red Wings march on into April in more of a trudge. Detroit has lost three of its last four
games, with most of those contests coming against teams that have also been vying for a
playoff spot.
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“I thought we were overpowered along the walls and in front of our net. And that wasn’t just at
the start. That was the whole night,” coach Todd McLellan said. “..The will and the drive is
something we could use a lot more of.”
As the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get tougher. This team ain’t tough.
Next Up
The Red Wings face off against the Flyers in Philadelphia in a rematch of their March 28
contest.
The post Penguins Overpower Red Wings in Pittsburgh appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.