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Zetterberg: We started to panic |
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Just when you thought the Detroit Red Wings had pulled themselves up from rock bottom, they went out Saturday and found a new low.
Carrying a 3-1 lead into the third period at Pittsburgh, the Wings surrendered four third-period goals and fell 5-3 to the Penguins.
This one didn’t sit well at all with Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg.
“In the third when they scored the second one we started to panic instead of playing with poise and calm,” Zetterberg said. “We’d have the puck in control and all of a sudden they’d have the puck.
“That’s a tough team to give away chances to.”
As much as the Penguins sought to pressure the Wings, Zetterberg felt that the vast majority of the damage was self-inflicted.
“It wasn’t all the time their forecheck,” Zetterberg said. “I thought we had the puck under control lots of times, and then we didn’t execute, or the forwards didn’t want the puck, or didn’t talk to the D.
“That’s stuff that we have to get better at. When we have the puck we have to execute on passes and get out of our own end.”
Zetterberg wasn’t the only Wing who was appalled by their performance.
“It can’t happen,” center Frans Nielsen said. “We’ve got to be better playing with a lead.”
Nielsen felt that the Wings were trying to be too cute with the puck.
“I think we put ourselves into trouble by making pretty plays,” Nielsen said. “Too many passes instead of just go north and make them chase us a little bit.
“I think a lot of this is on ourselves. We’re being too pretty in our own end and we’re making a pass too much and suddenly we’re playing in our own end instead of maybe getting down there and playing in their own end a little bit.”
After gaining a point in the five previous games, the Wings were confident that they’d cured their habit of squandering third-period leads.
It turns out that maybe they were over confident.
“Lately we’ve been very good defensively, so it’s disappointing that we’d go out and do this,” Nielsen said. “I thought we were kind of over that.
“You can’t just give points away like this.”
Coreau Debut
The third-period collapse spoiled what was looking like a stellar NHL debut for rookie goalie Jared Coreau.
“I thought he played really well,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “I think he should be real proud of the way he played.
“Obviously, the outcome is not what he wanted or we wanted but I think it’s a good stepping stone for him.”
Coreau planned to accentuate the positive and not remember the end result from his first NHL game.
“Probably the (Sidney) Crosby save, (the Evgeni) Malkin save,” Coreau said. “I’m just going to take the saves, remember those, because that’s usually the positive way. But overall, just a good experience.
“I thought my performance was good. There’s definitely some areas to improve on but I felt like I could play in this league.”
Heading Home
The Wings get right back at it Sunday with a game against the New York Islanders, Nielsen’s home for a decade prior to joining Detroit this season.
“Yeah it’s going to be weird coming back with all the good friends and people you’d been with for so long in the organization and on the team,” Nielsen said. “It’s going to for sure be a weird feeling coming back there but I’m looking forward to it.
“I guess one of the good things about hockey is there’s a new game tomorrow when you lose like this. I’m excited and looking forward. It’s going to be fun.”
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