The Red Wings seemingly returned from the Olympic break re-energized under newly minted gold medalist captain Dylan Larkin, though their energy seemed to lack focus and the necessary drive to win. Detroit won the first of the two games played this past week back from their extended midseason break, with a 2-1 overtime win in Ottawa against the Senators on Feb. 26. However, the Red Wings ran into a brick wall against the Carolina Hurricanes, losing 5-2 in a game that looked close for about two minutes in the second period.
Dogs without horses
The Red Wings came out against Ottawa looking to prove that they were still a team hot for playoff contention. Simon Edvinsson returned from a lower body injury and promptly laid out Brady Tkachuk to continue his ongoing feud with the pest with a podcast. Edvinsson and Dylan Cozens dropped the gloves after, however, the real action came in the penalty box.
Tkachuk, freshly up off the ice from his nose's meeting with the end of his own stick, started chirping Edvinsson in the penalty box and the refs caught him saying something that was apparently worth a ten minute game misconduct. The Red Wings managed to tighten things up and rein in some of the sloppy play and wild energy from earlier in the game with a power play goal from later Larkin, who would also pot the game winner in overtime.
However in Carolina the Red Wings found themselves playing little brother to one of the top teams in the East. Detroit was outmuscled and outshot by the Hurricanes, and throughout the game found themselves on the wrong end of two different three goal deficits. Former Red Wing Shayne Gostisbehere continues to haunt the back of their net, finishing the night with X points (x goals x assists), helping Carolina jump to a 3-0 lead before the end of the second period.
Patrick Kane and Simon Edvinsson managed to spark some hope for the Red Wings with two goals late in the second to bring them on the doorstep of another comeback, but Carolina promptly responded and slammed the storm door by scoring three more goals to make it 5-2 and handing Cam Talbot yet another loss. Kane's goal was the 501st of his career and snapped a nearly 20 game goal-less streak.
Around the block
The trade deadline is less than a week away and the Red Wings have been linked to several players around the league. An offer is apparently already on the table for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers but the 36-year-old has a NMC and prefers to stay west. Several other blueliners have been mentioned as potential targets, but with a thin market at the deadline and a tightly contested Atlantic division, the Red Wings may find themselves in something of a bidding war for certain players.
While noise around the Red Wings acquiring a potential top four defenseman has been the loudest, the Red Wings have also been mentioned as checking in on Elias Petersson and Robert Thomas, though the cost for either would be high. However, the Red Wings have shown a need over the last month and a half, and especially the last week, for more scoring, and more hard nosed action from their forward group.
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