| Detroit Free Press
Dylan Larkin learned ‘good lesson’ in Detroit Red Wings’ 3-2 OT loss to Florida
Dylan Larkin interview after Red Wings 3-2 OT loss to Florida. 30 January 2021.
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Red Wings looked like even strength, but their power play remains a massive stain.
They hosted the Florida Panthers Saturday in the first of two weekend games at Little Caesars Arena, a short break between trips. The Wings pushed the game to overtime before losing 3-2, extending their unbeaten streak to five.
“We outscored them 5-on-5,” Dylan Larkin said. “We played a good game and that’s what we wanted to get home.”
Tyler Bertuzzi scored his fifth goal of the season but left the game after two periods with a torso injury. Coach Jeff Blashill did not have a status update on Bertuzzi immediately after the game, except that he is doubtful for Sunday’s reunion.
Anthony Mantha broke a five-game drought and scored his second goal of the season.
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Bertuzzi’s goal gave the wings the lead, but they let the momentum disappear, while Keith Yandle remained in a power play with 0.5 seconds left in the first period.
The wings did not generate much in the first half of the second period in the time of the attacking zone, but Thomas Greiss penetrated into the net. It didn’t help when they had male benefits, which has been a challenge since the season started. Blashill sends a message to two of his most talented players, letting Mantha and Dylan Larkin off the first two powerplays.
“It simply came to our notice then. It’s not working, so other guys are trying, next man, “Larkin said.” We weren’t good enough yet, so it was time to change things. a good lesson for me. ‘
Aleksi Heponiemi scored from half time to drop the wings to 2-5-2. Overall, though, it was an improvement over how poorly the wings played in their previous game when they conceded seven goals at Dallas.
“This is the answer we needed,” Larkin said. “This is how we should play. We played well. ”
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Mantha passed five minutes of play in the first period, aiming for the net and hitting a flyhalf after Sergei Bobrovsky made a save on Taro Hirose. Mantha had a rough start to the season, with just four points and a minus-10 score. Hirose, who was called up from the taxi group because Robby Fabbri and Filip Zadina are in the COVID-19 protocol, deserves his second aid in three games. Bertuzzi makes it 2-1 when he gets Larkin’s shot in the hands and gets an almost-open net.
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After playing 1-for-7 on Thursday in the showdown, Blashill allotted staff among the two units. On Saturday, he made significant changes to the first two powerplays, which Larkin and Mantha left behind. Mantha had a rough start, with one goal in eight games, but he and Larkin are two of the team’s best attacking players. In the first matches, Hirose played with Bobby Ryan with Michael Rasmussen, Christian Djoos and Filip Hronek in one unit. The other unit had Vladislav Namestnikov, Valtteri Filppula, Danny DeKeyser, Brome and Bertuzzi. Larkin and Mantha were used on later power measurements.
“Our showdown hasn’t been good enough yet, and I think what’s the definition of madness – it’s doing the same thing over and over again,” Blashill said. ‘We felt we should try to give some guys a chance to see how it goes. And when they did not get it right, we went back to Larkin and Mantha to see what they would do. After all, power measurements are not a whole bunch of schemes, it’s about performing and performing plays. Someone needs to act and play better in such situations. If it’s Larks and Mantha, great. If it’s someone else, great. I’m not sure how you find out if it’s someone else if you are not trying other people. ‘
Jeff Blashill breaks down Detroit Red Wings’ 3-2 OT loss to Florida
Jeff Blashill interviewed after Red Wings’ 3-2 OT loss to Florida. 30 January 2021
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
Panthers are turned on
The Wings faced a short situation two minutes into the game when Mathias Brome was asked to hold. Alexander Barkov grabbed 66 seconds, one of three shots on the net during the Panthers man advantage. When the wings went off at 5:19 on a power play, they barely managed to get up and aimed one shot at Bobrovsky. The Panthers went 2-for-2 on power play in the period, with Yandle showing why it’s a good idea not to throw up before the horn sounds.
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more about the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings, is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her email.