One thing the Detroit Red Wings didn’t get for Christmas was a new shtick.
Detroit’s first post-Christmas game provided some positive developments - three goals scored, plenty of pucks to the net, heck, even a power-play goal - but the outcome was all too familiar - the Wings dug a hole, fought back, but came up short in a 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena.
First, The Good Detroit’s 43 shots, 20 of them in the third period, equaled a season high.
“I thought we’ve been better the last few games here getting pucks to the net,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “We did that tonight again.
“We scored three so we just have to keep doing that coming up.…
Detroit rallied from 2-0, and 3-1 deficits, pulling even on Thomas Vanek’s third-period power-play goal, a tally that ended an 0-for-28 drought with the man advantage.
“It was a big goal so I don’t know if it was a relief but it was a big goal,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “I’ve thought for a little bit here that the process on the power play has been better. I thought the process in Florida was much better. I thought we had looks that if you get those looks consistently, you’re going to score.
“Last year, I don’t know when it was, February, where we got hot on the power play and it got real hot. So I’m hoping it gets hot right now. We need it.…
Now The Bad For the 10th straight game, the Wings fell behind, this time 2-0 on first-period goals by Buffalo’s Evander Kane and Sam Reinhart.
“It’s just hard to win in the league and it’s hard to score, and if you’re constantly having to climb from behind, it makes it harder,… Blashill said. “It’s hard to win in this league if you’re giving up four goals, so we’ve got to do a better job of making sure that doesn’t happen.…
For the sixth consecutive game, Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek surrendered at least three goals.
“Obviously you want to be better, to not let as many goals in,… Mrazek said. “I give us a chance to win the game if it’s one or two goals.
“I have to be better, that’s all.…
Smith Returns For the first time since he suffered a knee injury when checked during Detroit’s Nov. 26 game against Montreal - a 12-game absence - Brendan Smith returned to the Red Wings defense and made his presence known via a second-period fight with Kane.
“I’m really excited to get back in,… Smith said. “It seems like it’s been a long time. I just want to help out the boys as best I can and try to get this train moving back in the right direction.…
Remembering 1997 The Wings honored their 1996-97 Stanley Cup championship team prior to the game and some of them were quite willing to offer advice to today’s club on what they need to do to get pointed in the right direction.
“Goaltending is a huge factor, goaltending and power play,… said Hall Famer Scotty Bowman, coach of three Cup winners in Detroit. “If you don’t have those components, it’s tough. They were getting pretty good goaltending I thought. Jimmy Howard was playing really good this year.
“It’s goaltending and power play now. It’s so hard if you don’t have those two ingredients. If you took the goals scored around the league, there’s not a lot of players who score 20 goals even strength. When you count the power plays, that’s the difference.
“I don’t know what their percentage is on the power play (an NHL-worst 11.9 percent) but you have to do a lot of other things to win if you don’t have a power play.…
Forward Tomas Holmstrom, a power-play sensation during his Detroit days via his persistent net-front presence, offered to go get his gear if the Wings thought he could help.
“I have my stuff, but it’s in Novi (Michigan) right now,… Holmstrom said. “I could pick it up I guess. I could get to the paint. You need guys at the net. You need pucks to come to the net.
“I haven’t seen so many games lately, but I know they’ve been struggling. I’ve gone through it, the team’s been through it. You just have to get the puck to the net and need traffic and need the bounces.…
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