Andreas Athanasiou’s greatest asset sped the Detroit Red Wings to victory over the Washington Capitals Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena.
Bursting past Capitals defenseman John Carlson early in the third period of a scoreless tie, Athanasiou corralled the puck just before he got to the goal line and threw a tight-angle shot toward the Washington goal, which somehow found its way between Capitals netminder Braden Holtby and the post and in for the only goal of the game in Detroit’s 1-0 victory.
“I picked up the puck at our own end and it was at the end of my shift, so I was just trying to get it deep,… Athanasiou said, recounting his first goal as an NHLer, which came in his second career game. “I had some speed and I thought I could take the D wide and I lost it there, but I threw it on net, and it was lucky enough to squeak through.…
Looking to increase their offensive output, the Wings have been focusing on getting more pucks to the net and taking shots from strange angles such as the one that Athanasiou put past Holtby.
“Exactly, we always talk about it in-between intermissions,… Athanasiou said. “Just over-shoot the puck and you never know what could happen. I was lucky there.…
Detroit coach Jeff Blashill cited former Wings goalie Chris Osgood as being the one behind the thought process of shooting from wide angles, noting how some of the league’s bigger goalies sometimes struggle to stay tight to their posts.
“The bigger the goalie the more awkward it is, so you can kind of throw them in from the sides,… Blashill explained. “Shots from the side are a hard thing, especially as the goalies get bigger and bigger. It’s awkward when they’re coming in from the side.
“I’ve got to look at that again. I’m sure Holtby would like to have that one back from where it came from, but, yeah, you’ve got to get the puck to the net.…
Petr Power Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek posted his first shutout of the season and sixth of his young NHL career. According to Sportsnet, Mrazek’s 38-save performance was the most stops made by a Red Wings goalie in a home shutout since Roger Crozier had a 39-save effort Jan. 16, 1966 in a 4-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Olympia Stadium.
“It’s awesome getting the shutout but two points are more important than having a shutout,… Mrazek said. “You don’t think about it in the game that you are going for a shutout. You just try to play and stop everything.
“In the end if you have a shutout it’s good, but if you don’t and you still win it’s the best way to have a game.…
He Shoots … and Shoots … and Shoots Fifteen of Washington’s 38 shots on goal were delivered by Alexander Ovechkin, who was looking to pass Sergei Fedorov (483) to become the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer among Russian-born players on the night the Wings honoured Fedorov for his recent induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“I knew he was going to shoot from everywhere,… Mrazek said. “You could see it from the beginning of the game. I think he had seven shots in the first period (six actually).
“I was trying to be focused and be out of the crease every shot that he had.…
Blashill joked that their strategy was to wear down Ovechkin by letting him fire so many pucks.
“We had a little plan to tire him out,… Blashill said with a smile. “We thought if he could get 15 (shots) … he’s got ice bags on his arms right now.…
In reality, Blashill wasn’t anxious to see a repeat performance from Ovechkin when the two teams meet again at the JLA on Nov. 18.
“We’re going to try to come up with a different plan,… Blashill said.
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