Detroit Red Wings Weekly Recap; Wrapping Up Week 10

Welcome to my tenth regular season Detroit Red Wings weekly review. The Red Wings played three games, posting a 1-1-1 record. The Red Wings lost 6-3 against the Ottawa Senators, lost in overtime to the Washington Capitals, then rebounded to take out the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-4.

Positives

The offense clicked this week, as they averaged 4.00 goals per game. Several Red Wings players had good weeks.

Joe Veleno had three points (one goal, two assists), David Perron had four points  (two goals, two assists), Michael Rasmussen had five points (two goals, three assists), and captain Dylan Larkin had four points (two goals and two assists).

The Detroit Red Wings’ Veleno and Rasmussen were week 10 stars.

The line changing seemed to have benefits, as every line had good chemistry this week. The lines fed off each other when in the offensive zone and created some buzz.

The new lines that were formed no longer go by top line and line four, as all four lines are capable of offensive and defensive play. From top to bottom, this is a solid 12 forwards who are all playing to win.

Joe Veleno continues his solid play. Once a highly-touted prospect with offensive potential, he has solidified his game to become an outstanding two-way player still capable of chipping in the offense.

He looks comfortable while on the ice and is progressing with every moment of ice time. No longer a point-producing machine, he has turned his game around to be a more complete player in this league.

Negatives

The defense was not good this week, allowing 14 goals in three games, an average of 4.66 goals per game. Goaltender Ville Husso, once a promising Vezina Trophy candidate, has seemingly gone to an average goaltender while still picking up wins.

His play has not suffered horribly, just to the point where he is not the elite goaltender he was at the beginning of the season.

Forward Tyler Bertuzzi continues to try and find his game after missing 23 games earlier this season. He has four points in nine games but has yet to truly find his game in all three zones.

Bertuzzi could still be shaking off the rust, but if not, it may be time to finally find a trade partner and see the return you can get. He should be back soon after having surgery on his wrist/hand.

The power play is still struggling, operating at only 20%. The Detroit Red Wings are not the Colorado Avalanche but have enough talented offensive players where the success rate on the power play should not be this low.

The lines that head coach Derek Lalonde has come up with have succeeded on a regular shift, however, the power play seems to run out of time.

The creativity is there, and so is the talent. Too many times the Detroit Red Wings are often caught passing the puck when they should have maybe taken a shot. A tweak here and there should fix this.

Weekly record: 1-1-1

Season record: 14-11-7