Another day, another familiar script for the Detroit Red Wings, as their hold on third spot in the NHL’s Atlantic Division grew even more tenuous.
Producing a season-low 17 shots, the Wings squandered a 1-0 lead with 4:02 left in regulation time and fell 2-1 to the Ottawa Senators in a shootout Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena.
Coupled with Boston’s 3-2 win over Florida, the Bruins – who play at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday - drew to within two points of the Wings, while Ottawa closed to within five points of Detroit.
“I thought our team competed real hard,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “I think we had great intensity. Now, did we do anything smooth? We turned the puck over too much, but they were quicker and faster and better.
“I thought they had more hands on deck than us and I thought they played faster than us.…
Outshot by a 2-1 margin as Ottawa directed 34 shots at Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek, the Wings recognize that they aren’t good enough right now to get the job done.
“Obviously you’re wasting a lot of energy instead of playing on the offensive side,… Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said of the time the team is spending defending in its own end. “It’s something we need to work on for sure. We’ve got to get some energy back into our play.
“The energy, usually you get from playing on the offensive side of things. We battled hard. We came up with some big kills on the PK. The power play wasn’t good enough. There are a lot of areas we need to work on.…
It was that way for most of March. Detroit went 5-8-2 for the month and hasn’t won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak from Feb. 26-March 4.
“It’s been some time no doubt and of course that’s something we work on every day,… Kronwall said. “Any way you look at it, it’s a big point for us, but of course, not the way we want to be playing the game by no means.
“I don’t think we were even close to where we need to be. They’re a good team; they’re coming with a lot of energy. They got the pucks deep. We didn’t do a very good job of getting out of our zone and getting the pucks deep. When we did get it down in their zone, we were a little too much one and done.
“We need to improve in those areas and get back at it on Thursday.…
Mrazek Marvels Given the nod after a shaky performance in his last start Sunday against the New York Islanders, Mrazek was solid with 33 saves.
“I felt great out there,… Mrazek said. “We got one point and would have liked to have two, so that’s disappointing for us, but you bounce back.
“That’s a huge one point for us.…
Mrazek is 3-0-1 this season in games following games from which he was pulled.
“That’s what he does,… Kronwall said. “He’s been great for us all year. There’s been maybe a couple of nights where he hasn’t felt great but we haven’t helped him up very much on those nights either.
“I thought this was a big night for him and it just shows what he’s all about.…
The only disappointment for Mrazek was the outcome, especially allowing three goals on four shots in the shootout.
“Yeah it’s a big disappointment for me,… Mrazek said. “I was very excited for that and we scored two goals.
“If I hadn’t let two of the first three in we win.…
Babcock didn’t like seeing that his goalie was downcast about the outcome.
“After the shootout I saw Pete sprint off the ice,… Babcock said. “To me he doesn’t have anything to hang his head about. I thought he was outstanding, gave us a chance.
“I thought Mrazek did a real good job and he’ll get the start against Boston and then his job is to do it again.
“That’s the great thing about the goaltending position. If you do it every night, you get to play every night.…
Injuries Mount Right before game time, the Wings found out that centers Pavel Datsyuk (lower body ache) and Riley Sheahan (upper body) wouldn’t be able to go. It was the third game missed by Sheahan, while Datsyuk has missed six of the last eight games.
“We came out this morning, I thought (forward Erik) Cole (upper body injury) was playing, I thought Pav was playing, I thought Sheahan was playing,… Babcock said.
Barely a minute into the game, left-winger Drew Miller, who was playing his 157th consecutive game, was lost for the night when he was cut open around the right eye when accidentally kicked in the face by the skate of Ottawa’s Mark Stone on a faceoff in the Detroit end.
Though he’ll be left with a nasty scar, there was no damage to Miller’s eye.
“It’s a scary moment for sure,… Kronwall said. “At the same we all found out fairly quick that he was going to be OK.…
Babcock was hopeful that the team wouldn’t be as short-staffed for their big showdown with the Bruins.
“I’m optimistic by the time Boston gets to town we’ll have more hands on deck,… Babcock said.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Hockey Tuesday was Gordie Howe’s 87th birthday and the Wings wished their most legendary player best wishes by presenting fans at the game with a Gordie Howe bobblehead.
“I would like to wish Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, the greatest hockey player to ever play the game, a very happy 87th birthday,… fellow Wings legend Ted Lindsay said. “No one to this day can play the game with the same combination of toughness and skill that Gordie displayed for 25 years in a Red Wings uniform.…
Red Wings pro scout Mark Howe indicated that his father continues to make progress from the stroke he suffered thanks to stem cell treatments he underwent late last year.
“It’s not so much that it’s his birthday, we feel every day he has now is a bonus, a blessing for the family,… Mark Howe said. “We all strongly feel if he didn’t have that treatment he wouldn’t be alive today.
“Every day is special and we treat it that way.…
It’s the same way everyone associated with the team is feeling.
“He was a great teammate and I’m thrilled at the progress he’s made in his recovery,… Lindsay said. “I wish him all the best as he continues his battle.…
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