They say today’s NHL is a race to three and Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena, the Detroit Red Wings lost that race.
Up 2-1 in the dying moments of regulation against the Boston Bruins, the Wings surrendered Colin Miller’s tying goal with 1:44 left in the third period and then lost 3-2 in overtime when Frank Vatrano tipped Miller’s shot past Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek.
Earlier in the third period, Detroit’s Drew Miller missed a wide-open net and the Wings also failed to capitalize on a pair of power-play chances in the final frame of regulation time.
“We've got to find a way to score the third goal there,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “Obviously they hang around and it's 2-1, that can happen. I think when you go into overtime, we've talked about it, you leave a bit up to chance.
“You'd like to win more than not but I think overtime by its nature over time ends up evening out. We’ve got to find a way to score the third goal but we can build off of that. We talked in the room, if we play 10 games like that, we'll win eight of them so let's keep playing that way.…
That was the rub for the Red Wings. As much as the setback stung, they did play solidly for most of the night and controlled the game in terms of shots, puck possession and zone time.
“I thought we did lots of great stuff, to be honest with you,… Blashill said. “In a lot of ways, it was our best game of the year in terms of puck possession and creating chances. I think we've had some games where we've had lots of puck possession and maybe not created as much chances.
“I thought in the O-zone we did some really good stuff, we were active, we created lots of confusion, we had net presence. We did the things I think it takes to be successful. We were able to get back above and we had good changes. Again, if we play eight games like that, 10 games like that, we'll win eight of them.…
Datsyuk Milestone Pavel Datsyuk also enjoyed what was easily his best game of the season and was rewarded when he scored a spectacular goal, deking around Boston defenseman Torey Krug and then snapping a high wrist shot over the shoulder of Bruins goalie Jonas Gustavsson.
It was Datsyuk’s 300th NHL goal and with it, he joined Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Alex Delvecchio, Sergei Fedorov and captain Henrik Zetterberg as the only players with 300 goals, 500 assists and 800 points in a Red Wings uniform.
As Datsyuk returned to the bench, Zetterberg was there to welcome him to the 300-goal club, which Datsyuk responded to in his usual impish way.
“He said, ‘Just 400 more to go to catch Brett Hull,’… Zetterberg said.
In reality, the tally meant much to Datsyuk.
“It’s a big milestone for me and I’m happy to help my team with lots of good teammates,… Datsyuk said. “It’s fun.…
It’s not the milestone that Datsyuk intends to hang his hat on, mind you.
“Probably after 500 (goals) scored, yeah, relief,… Datsyuk said. “Now is not (time to relax).…
With each step in the seven games since he returned from off-season ankle surgery, Datsyuk looks more like himself and it’s no coincidence that the Wings’ overall game has grown along with him.
“I think he just gets better and better,… Zetterberg said. “He’s Pavel Datsyuk.…
Ferraro Fan As a hockey man, Blashill would prefer to keep all his assets; so losing forward Landon Ferraro on waivers was a disappointment.
As someone who coached Ferraro for four seasons in AHL Grand Rapids, Blashill couldn’t be happier to see Ferraro continue to get an NHL chance and succeed at it.
In his second game as a Bruin since being claimed on waivers from Detroit, Ferraro posted his second assist, two more helpers than he contributed during his entire 14-game stint as a Red Wing.
“Landon Ferraro did tons for me as a coach,… Blashill said. “He came and worked hard for three and a half years, committed to everything we asked him to commit to, helped us win a championship in the American League.
“We knew the risk involved when we put him on waivers. And certainly from an organization standpoint you want to keep as many good players as you can and Landon’s a real good player and a real good person.
“From a personal standpoint, I was happy for him to have the opportunity. I watched him play the other night and it was great for him.…
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