Red Wings thoughts: Third-period collapse dooms Detroit in return from break

New York Times

22-02-2025

DETROIT — For much of the first 53 minutes Saturday, it looked like the Red Wings were going to return from the 4 Nations break with a return to form.
Detroit had stumbled in its last game prior to the break, snapping a seven-game winning streak, but looked ready to pick right back up in the NHL's first game back. The Red Wings got out to an early lead over the Minnesota Wild, and they held it for nearly the duration — leading 3-1 with just seven minutes left.
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Then it all unraveled, in one big, interconnected sequence that started out with a Red Wings power play.
First, Patrick Kane had a pass to the point broken up by Joel Eriksson Ek, who tipped the puck up and past a leaping Moritz Seider. Then, Eriksson Ek beat Seider to the loose puck in the neutral zone, drawing a slashing penalty on Seider on his way to a contested breakaway. Eriksson Ek didn't score, but he bowled into Red Wings' goaltender Cam Talbot — drawing the attention of Detroit captain Dylan Larkin, who took exception and went to the box with Eriksson Ek for offsetting roughing calls.
That all led to a four-on-four — until 24 seconds later Red Wings forward Vladimir Tarasenko was caught for a high stick, allowing the Wild to get an extra skater on the ice with the delayed call. During that delayed call sequence, Matt Boldy jumped on a loose puck and beat Talbot to cut it to 3-2.
At that point, the game went on — but Larkin was still in the box, and he remained there much longer than the prescribed two minutes because his penalty was an off-setting minor. He needed another whistle after the 14:43 mark of the third period. That whistle didn't come, though, and when Minnesota pulled its goalie, Detroit was stuck in its own zone while its most trusted forward was stuck in the box.
Marcus Foligno scored for the Wild with 1:31 left, and just like that the two points Detroit seemed to have in the bag were suddenly back up for grabs.
The Red Wings had another chance, getting a four-on-three power play in overtime, but they weren't able to convert and then made another costly error as the penalty expired — this time with defenseman Erik Gustafsson getting a pass picked off by Eriksson Ek, who sprung Marco Rossi on a breakaway right out of the box for the overtime winner.
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'I think today was a real strange game,' Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said afterward — and he's right. Two of the goals the Red Wings scored came with lengthy reviews, one to gauge intent to blow the whistle, and another for potential goaltender interference.
Both goals stood, though, and Detroit had a chance to put the game away after the Wild lost the latter challenge, putting them short-handed.
'We were a little bit sloppy and we could have put the nail in the coffin there,' McLellan said. 'And that kind of hurt us a little bit. … Just an odd night. I don't know if it's because of the break or not, but a lot of strange things happened.'
And that strange game ended with just one point for the Red Wings, who are kicking off a stretch run for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Five thoughts:
1. You could really tell which players played in the 4 Nations Face-Off over the break. Larkin and Lucas Raymond both had goals for the Red Wings. Eriksson Ek may well have decided the game with his two huge plays with his defensive stick. Boldy scored a goal. Brock Faber seemed to be on the ice all game long — finishing the afternoon with 30 minutes played for the Wild.
It was unclear, coming in, how the rest versus rust debate played out for those who took part in the high-intensity international tournament compared to those who got a break. But the edge in this one seemed to go to the former — especially early.
'It was a quick turnaround to be playing Thursday night and then again (Saturday afternoon), but I guess I would say I felt like it helped me — and then it didn't towards the end of the game,' Larkin said.
Larkin, who was one of the breakout stars of the 4 Nations tournament, had a goal and an assist in this one, with the goal coming on a strange play where the goal horn had sounded for a shot that went off the post and never actually went in. Larkin didn't quit on the play and put it in the net, and after a lengthy review, that goal counted.
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Raymond also had a goal and an assist, bringing him up to a team-leading 61 points this season.
2. One exception to the rule above: Alex DeBrincat was not at the 4 Nations, but was one of the Red Wings' most noticeable players Saturday.
Alex DeBrincat's move to open the scoring for the Red Wings 😰
📺 ABC/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/K4LOBoQ44Z
— ESPN (@espn) February 22, 2025
That started with the opening goal, on a great move around Marc-Andre Fleury in the slot that he finished with a backhand. He was also the one who put the shot off the post just before Larkin's goal, to pick up an assist. And perhaps his biggest play of the night didn't end up on the scoresheet — a thundering hit on Faber behind the net that started a considerable scrum late in the second period.
'He's a feisty S.O.B.,' McLellan said of the 5-foot-8 DeBrincat after the game. 'Since he's been in the league, everywhere he's been he surprises you when he gets the gloves off, he surprises you with big hits. He's a hard, physical player that scores goals. And just because he's not the tallest guy in the league, he probably isn't looked at that way. But pound for pound, I'd put him up against a lot of people.'
It was a perfectly executed clean hit and the scrum that ensued after it drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Boldy, setting up a carryover power play into the third period on which Raymond made it 3-1 — with a screen from DeBrincat out front.
He was excellent on Saturday.
3. The scrum after DeBrincat's hit did take a toll on the Red Wings, though. After Andrew Copp went into the scrum to pull Boldy out, he came up injured — it appeared to be his upper left arm — and did not return to the game.
McLellan said after the game that Copp was still being looked at but labeled him doubtful for Sunday's game against Anaheim.
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That would be a significant loss for the Red Wings, as Copp has played a significant role for Detroit lately as the team's second-line center. He's a go-to penalty killer and can get to the middle and dig pucks out for DeBrincat and Vladimir Tarasenko at even strength — to that end, he had the assist to set up DeBrincat's goal Saturday.
Copp was playing in his 700th career game and the assist was his 300th career point. This will be an important injury situation to monitor for the Red Wings.
4. While the late turnovers were a big part of the story of the game, McLellan said he 'didn't think our puck management was a disaster. We made a few mistakes that ended up in our net.'
He pointed to the Boldy goal as a product of a play on which Detroit had actually disrupted a shot — only for it to bounce right to Boldy. 'It's up in the air and it throws everybody off. It threw the two guys that checked, it threw Vladdy off, it threw off the goaltender. … So, odd.'
He did acknowledge the Gustafsson turnover in overtime but pointed to the timing of Rossi coming out of the box as key.
'Odd game,' he said, 'but you've got to know those situations and play them better.'
5. There's no doubt, this was a disappointing loss for the Red Wings. To have two points seemingly in hand, and emerge with only one, is a tough outcome in the midst of a playoff race. Time will tell if it comes back to bite them.
But, for now, picking up the point still did help them in the standings — pushing them up into a tie for the first wild card spot with the Senators. There are a host of teams right on their tail, including Columbus two points back with a game in hand, who Detroit will see twice in the next seven days. That outdoor game next Saturday at Ohio Stadium is now looking huge.
And for Larkin, who just came back from a week of high-stakes hockey, that experience has only added to his desire to play in those types of games in Detroit.
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'It's a great experience, and the games were so intense and so much fun,' Larkin said. 'It was a disappointing end for us, and I'm sure (Raymond) will say the same: it definitely is a huge motivator to come back and play today and push our team to make the playoffs.'