If this is what the post-season has in store for the Detroit Red Wings, then things could get dicey.
Dropping a 2-0 decision to the Montreal Canadiens Monday at Joe Louis Arena, the Wings fell to 0-3-2 this season against the two teams they are battling for the Atlantic Division lead, Montreal and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
More significantly, a little taste of tight-checking, playoff-style hockey – the sort of games they didn’t deal with well at all while losing in five games to the Boston Bruins in the opening round of last spring’s tournament for Lord Stanley’s mug – showed there’s still some work to be done by the Wings in this department.
“We knew it was going to be tough,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “You just wanted to make the play they made. You wanted one to go in.
“But I thought it was a real good opportunity for our guys to battle, to understand what it’s going to be like. We need to elevate now, the league’s picked up pace and we’ve got to have our players keep up as well, so we’ve got to elevate here.…
A game where space and time between the boards virtually evaporated saw Montreal beat Detroit for the third time in as many meeting this season. The Wings are now 0-2-1 in their last three games as they embark on a six-game road trip starting Wednesday in Chicago against the Blackhawks.
“They were cutting us off pretty good,… Detroit left-winger Tomas Tatar said of Montreal. “They didn’t spend any time in their zone. They played simple, just tried to chip it out.
“We have to go stronger. Maybe if we scored one goal they would have to start creating more offense and try and make plays instead of trying to chip it out and it would be a different game.…
Slip And Fall Babcock described the game as “a check-fest… and as it turned out, it was a Czech who decided the outcome.
The game’s first goal didn’t come until there was 2:30 left in regulation time. Detroit center Pavel Datsyuk slipped to the ice, creating open space that Tomas Plekanec, coming off the bench on a line change, stepped into to wire a shot past Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard.
“It’s unfortunate,… Howard said. “He just blew a wheel there and their guy (Dale Weise) made a great pass to Plekanec and then he did a great job of using Kronner (Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall) as a screen. It also helps that he had (Max) Pacioretty off to the side.
“He had options and he put it post and in. It’s tough for any guy in the league to stop.…
Both teams figured it would be the type of game that would be decided by a mishap more so than a sensational play.
“You can’t call it a mistake,… Tatar said of the Plekanec goal. “It was a good play along the boards and he hit the shot pretty well and it ended up in the net.…
Playoff Atmosphere Though the post-season is still two months away, a small slice of it showed up Monday as these two Original Six rivals had at it.
“Man, what a game,… Howard said. “It was a great game to be a part of. The fans were awesome. It was just back and forth.
“There was not much there. They caught a break and they capitalized.…
Howard sensed that the intensity was up a level from a normal regular-season game.
“Yeah, it definitely felt like a playoff,… Howard said. “There was no room.
“It was tough to get to both nets, and when you got to the nets both guys were there to make the saves. So it was a lot of fun.…
The battling chants of “Let’s go Red Wings… and “Go Habs go,… in the JLA seats only added to the environment.
“It was a great crowd,… Detroit forward Gustav Nyquist said. “It was very loud in the building and although there wasn’t many goals I think they liked what they saw out there.
“For sure, two good teams that were trying to get into the playoffs and secure home ice. But this is a team we’re chasing and it was tough to lose the two points.…
Detroit and Montreal haven’t met in the playoffs since the 1977-78 quarter-finals, when the Canadiens won in five games en route to winning their third straight Stanley Cup. The Wings haven’t beaten the Habs in a playoff series since the spring of 1955, when they took the Cup final from Montreal for the second successive year, winning a seven-game series.
Mrazek Demoted After the game, the Wings announced that goaltender Petr Mrazek had been assigned to their AHL farm club in Grand Rapids.
Playing in 20 games this season, much of it while Howard was out with a groin injury, Mrazek was 13-5-1 with a 2.55 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
"He’s been great," Nyquist said. "Coming up from GR, even last year, too, he’s shown that he can play here."
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