Detroit Red Wings Weekly Recap: Wrapping Up Week 9
Welcome to my ninth regular-season Detroit Red Wings weekly review. The Detroit Red Wings played three games this week, going winless but gaining a single point. The Red Wings played the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild on the road, with their only home game coming against the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena.
Detroit Red Wings Weekly Recap: Wrapping Up Week
Positives
The Detroit Red Wings have played solid hockey this season but the play away from the puck stood out this week. The team combined for 70 hits and accounted for 15 blocks against the Carolina Hurricanes. This proves that, while the team is struggling to score, they are willing to compete away from the puck in order to keep the games close. They also were gritty in board battles and in the corners, showing they have grit in their game as well.
The transition game was on point this week. With the blocked shots and hits, they were able to take the puck and push it into the offensive zone with speed. Eliminating the opposition from the puck with hits allowed the Detroit Red Wings to enter the offensive zone with speed through the neutral zone. Their play away from the puck opened up the transition game, allowing the Red Wings to dictate the pace of the game by going the other way.
While goaltender Ville Husso has cooled down a bit, he still leads the league in shutouts. He has a record of 2-2-1over his past five games played, giving up just 11 goals total. Even though the team is struggling, Husso is still solid between the pipes and playing at a high level.
Negatives
The amount of players that are injured for the Detroit Red Wings is staggering. Players that are injured include Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Robby Fabbri, Robert Hagg, Filip Hronek, Olli Maatta, Mark Pysyk, Filip Zadina, and Matt Luff. Players have been recalled from the AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins but the depth is not NHL-ready. The longer these players sit on the injured list the longer this roster shakeup with the lines will continue and Detroit can not compete at a high level this way.
The offense is struggling again, scoring three goals in three games this past week. For the season, the Detroit Red Wings have scored 85 goals, 25th in the league. The roster is not helping matters, with players being shuffled around due to the number of injuries. Sooner than later the team is going to have to find chemistry with the players they have and get this thing back on track.
Not surprisingly, the team total +/- is a -30. The worst on the team happens to be the top defensive pairing of Ben Chiarot (-13) and Moritz Seider (-14). No way to turn this around other than to play better in their own zone and create better offensive chances in their own zone.
Weekly record: 0-2-1
Season record: 13-10-6