They pounded the Ottawa Senators’ net with a season-high 37 shots.
“Yeah it was good to see,… Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard said after a 4-3 road overtime win Monday. “I think that’s the second time this year we’ve gotten 30 shots on net.…
It was in fact, the other a 30-shot output in a 3-1 loss to the same Senators Oct. 30 at Joe Louis Arena.
“It’s just a great effort and that was the design in practice yesterday,… Howard said of their shot production. “Get a lot of pucks on net. Petr (Mrazek) and I saw a lot of rubber in practice and it was good to see it transition over into the game tonight.…
Detroit coach Jeff Blashill felt this was a performance that was a long overdue for his team.
“I think that’s been coming for a while in terms of our shot attempts,… Blashill said. “We talked lots about it as a team. We’ve got to do a better job of getting them through quicker, so they don’t get blocked, we’ve got to do a better job of getting them on net. “I thought we did that tonight.…
There’s something about the Senators that seems to bring out the best in the Red Wings. In Detroit’s last two visits to Canada’s capital city, they’ve scored nine goals.
In the six games in between, the Wings scored a combined total of nine goals.
It was more than just the offensive output that had the Wings feeling good about Monday’s triumph.
“I thought the guys played really well,… defenseman Mike Green said. “I thought that we executed really well, especially to start the game.…
Howard ramped up the analysis to an even higher plateau.
“I think that’s probably our most complete game,… Howard said.
There was an unfamiliar balance to Detroit’s attack, as the Wings got their four goals from three different forward lines.
“We’re going to need that,… Howard said. “You can’t just rely on one line all season long, or certain individuals. Everyone’s got to pull their own weight.
“I think you saw that tonight.…
The Wings also didn’t collapse when the Senators rallied to force overtime, scoring two third-period goals to overcome a 3-1 third-period deficit, rallying to win on Tomas Tatar’s OT goal.
“We showed a lot of character tonight,… Green said. “They came back and played well in the third period. We could feel that they were blowing the zone and playing very offensive and sometimes that’s hard to defend.
“I thought the guys showed character. Guys were blocking shots, committed, doing all the right things and I guess the hockey gods were on our side tonight.…
Blashill wasn’t overly concerned by the third-period collapse.
“They got two in the third but honestly I didn’t think we stopped pushing,… Blashill said. “I thought we had lots of chances. They pushed also and the other team’s always got something to say about it. But I thought we had chances to go up 4-2 even after they scored the second goal and didn’t quite do it.…
Larkin Wows Them Rookie forward Dylan Larkin did it again Monday night, delivering another head-turning performance.
He opened the scoring, breaking in hard from the left wing and looking like he was about to circle the net, but instead, flipping a high shot in tight over the shoulder of Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson just as he was about to skate across the Ottawa goal line.
“He’s so dynamic, that kid, how he can skate and handle the puck and see,… Green said. “Most guys would have kept wheeling the net there. He was almost behind the net and sees that hole. He planned that. It wasn’t an accident.
“That just goes to show his dynamic, what kind of player he is.…
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