Third Period Collapse Leads to Embarrassing Loss: Chicago 7, Detroit 2

Just to get it out of the way, tonight’s recap will just be a straightforward one. I’m glad to see the positive feedback from the last one, but there’s no way I could do something like that every time 🙂

According to the lines Detroit tweeted out, the team is trying to bring back the Two Kids and an Old Goat line with Nielsen centering Brome and Svechnikov. Fabbri and Nemeth are out with injuries, Brome and Biega are in.

Well that’s a little different. Fantastic.

Chicago is wearing their reverse retros tonight, and I think they look pretty good. I’m hoping we haven’t worn ours yet because they are in dumpsters somewhere.

At the first commercial break, Detroit has the lead in shots, but some of them have been very low percentage shots from the blue line. Their passing has looked pretty good so far. Greiss has looked good to start.

Coming back from the break, Greiss made a great save off a quick passing play. Christian Djoos spills the puck over the glass and Chicago goes to their first power play of the night. Wait, what? I don’t think I’ve ever seen this. Chicago had a player waved out on the faceoff, then the second player committed a faceoff violation, which is a penalty. So we are going to be four on four for the entire two minutes. Watching the replay, I have no idea what the violation was. So strange.

A lot of times when Marc Staal slides on the ice on defense, I wonder what the hell he’s doing. This time, he made a really good play to keep Chicago from getting a chance on a two-on-one.

During four on four, Chicago takes the lead as Nikita Zadorov picks up the puck as the trailer and beats Greiss on a shot just inside the post. 1-0 Chicago. Filppula dropped his stick and had to pick it up, which led to him losing Zadorov on the rush.

While it’s frustrating to go down after playing pretty well in the first, Detroit has responded well to the goal.

Nielsen missed Biega with a pass in the defensive zone. Chicago regains possession and Carpenter shoots. The puck hits Biega and falls into the crease. Greiss accidentally kicks it into the net to make it 2-0.

But then! Sam Gagner tips a shot from Jon Merrill into the net to make it 2-1.

That’s the way the period ends. It seems like Detroit was the better team overall, but the scoreboard disagrees. Detroit also took TWENTY-ONE shots on goal, which is more than they do in some games.

I missed the first couple minutes of the period, but neither team scored, so I must not have missed too much.

Biega goes to the box, but so does a Blackhawk, so we still won’t have a power play.

I haven’t really seen too much to write about, but the game’s been pretty even. Greiss has made some really good saves this period. Bernier got 10 goals the last two games to work with, where’s Greiss’ goal support?

Glendening made a great play without a stick to block a shot before Greiss made a great save. He made another great save just after. Greiss has been solid this game.

The period ends the way it started: 2-1 Chicago. Not the best period Detroit has played this season, but not bad. Chicago really started to turn it on in the second half of the period, so Detroit needs to come out hard in the third.

Detroit gets the first chance of the period with Helm starting it off. Good jump to start the period, so they clearly are reading this recap as I’m writing it.

Welp, never mind. Pius Suter scores because of course he does. Just like on the second Chicago goal, Detroit’s defense gave Suter way too much room. 3-1 Chicago.

Mantha drives the net, and it sure seemed like the Chicago defender took a penalty to stop the play, but nothing is called.

Svechnikov is denied on a sharp angle shot. Shortly after, he is tripped up, but the officials appear not to want to let the red hot Detroit power play on the ice.

Apparently the rulebook still applies to Detroit even if it doesn’t apply to Chicago, and Bobby Ryan goes to the box for tripping.

Detroit has met the requirement of leaving a player wide open in front of the goal on the penalty kill, but Greiss makes the save.

4-1. Yet again, a Blackhawk is wide open and given too much time. Ryan Carpenter again.

I’m not saying Detroit has been drawing penalties left and right, but they should have had at least one power play in the first 49 minutes of this game.

Kane gets 400 because of course he does. 5-1.

Down four goals Detroit finally gets their first power play.

Mantha prevents a shorthanded chance by hustling back.

Svechnikov scores! I don’t care that they’re still down 3 goals. A beauty of a shot, and it’s on the power play!

We went into this game down some good players. Sure it wasn’t a great game, but I’m going to take the positive out of it. Another power play goal. Another goal for Svechnikov.

6-2. Whatever.

7-2. Greiss breaks his stick over the crossbar after breaking it on the post. About how it feels to watch the third period

It doesn’t get worse, which is some small comfort. This game was ok until it very much wasn’t. I’d have to go back and re-watch the goals before being confident about this statement, but I’d put most of the blame on the defense rather than Greiss for most of the goals. The Hawks had way too much time on their shots and I lost count of how many times their players were wide open within the vicinity of the net. Oh well. Turn the page.