Hey it’s these dorks again!
Also the Canuck-nyuk-nyuks
The Wings’ top line gets a real strong shift early on, but they don’t score on their first shift like they did on Saturday so it’s all for naught.
Honestly, from that, we got a few full laps around the lines with back-and-forth play but not a lot of scoring chances until we get under the 14 minute mark and start taking notice of how late the television timeout is getting with the lack of stoppages. Larkin is flying early but the Canucks are controlling the puck a little more.
Out of the break, Andrei Kuzmenko does some fancy spinning stuff and then Oskar Sundqvist does good work to get Zadina a partial break that ends with Collin Delia making a save.
9:02 left in the period, Dylan Larkin picks up a loose puck off a deflected pass coming out of the Wings’ zone and he absolutely turns on the burners to get through the defenders and in alone on Delia. Larkin dekes and slides under the five hole to make it 1-0 Red WIngs.
Two shifts later, Elias Pettersson draws a penalty on Joe Veleno in the Wings’ zone. This one is a cross-check. The Vancouver power play has trouble getting the puck moved away from the PKers and Veleno gets out of the box with one shot allowed. Shortly after, a deflected puck clangs hard off the post behind Husso to keep the score as-is.
Detroit’s next chance is Kubalik with a good chance in close after a pretty feed by Tyler Bertuzzi entering the zone. Then Mo Seider blocks a shot and skates off gingerly. This is widely viewed as awful.
Jonatan Berggren draws a penalty against Quinn Hughes on a play that looks a whole lot like the play that got Veleno sent to the box earlier. Wings’ PP starts with a minute left.
Detroit makes ‘em pay. 2-0 Wings.
Larkin’s quick zone entry and aggressive push to the net leaves the Canucks’ PP in shambles. Bert does great forecheck and Fabbri has his eyes up. Beautiful.
The Score: 2-0 Wings
The Shots: 7-6 Wings
Observations: This period was all Dylan Larkin.
The Canucks come out charging and tilt the ice for the first 90 seconds before Sheldon Dries taps in a backdoor pass from Conor Garland to make it 2-1 for the Wings.
Joe Veleno gets a great chance to re-extend the lead but can’t get it past the traffic and the goalie before the window closes. Then Garland gets a great look for a snapshot off a cross-ice pass that he misses. Moments later, Dominik Kubalik runs into Dylan Larkin in open ice and everybody holds their breaths waiting for Dylan to get back up.
Coming out of the first break, the Wings get back to a 3-1 score as Andrew Copp feeds from behind the net to the front for Michael Rasmussen with a quick shot that handcuffs Delia. Both Ras and Robby Fabbri are in front to take a stab at the rebound. Fabbri pokes it home and the lead is two again.
Bert nearly tips one under Delia ten seconds later. Then Veleno shoots over the net on a 2-on-1 with Berggren.
13:40 in, the refs remember they have whistles and Filip Zadina sits for boarding Quinn Hughes. It’s exactly what boarding is supposed to be, but a hit that’s rarely called like that.
Brock Boeser gets a wide-open shot on net on a 2-on-0 break past the defense in the zone and he pushes it outside the far post. On the follow-up, Chiarot loses his stick, Suter gives up his, the Canucks put on a freaking shooting gallery and somehow Zadina still breaks out of the clink without the scoreboard changing.
3:37 left and the Wings get another shot at the PK. Kuzmenko steps across the zone with the puck and flops when Robert Hägg tries to pat him on the back for a job well done. Holding is the call. Beauvilier gets a shot from the middle just like the one where he scored on Saturday and puts it off the crossbar. Canucks get a couple more dangerous chances at even strength, but the period comes to an end.
The Score: 3-1 Detroit
The Shots: 18-14 Canucks (12-7 Vancouver)
Observations: The score narrative mirrors that of Saturday, but I think the Wings played better in this second period than they did on Saturday.
The broadcast from ESPN+’s BSD feed starts the third period showing us the end of a replay for a Michael Rasmussen wraparound that Gustav Lindström taps into the goal to make it 4-1 Red Wings. Neat!
Five minutes later Pius Suter makes it 5-1 off a bad line chance for the Canucks.
I’m feeling secondhand embarrassment.
Next up David Perron makes a nifty net-front move and draws a delayed call. The Wings get the sixth skater and then the sixth goal on a sick stick shift. Johnny Burgers. 6-1 Wings.
Who needs sleep? Keep scoring goals, fellas.
13:25 in Hronek sits for cheating, which is illegal in hockey. He thinks about what he’s done and comes out a changed man. He’s grown during these times and matured as a person. He’s more well-rounded, much wiser; hasn’t lost his fire though.
One minute left the Canucks force a scoring chance that Ville Husso stops by trying to pull the net down. Apparently this creates a penalty shot if one in the final minute. Phil DiGuiseppe wrings the shot off the post and it remains 6-1.
The Score: 6-1 Wings
The Shots: 30-23 Vancouver (12-10)
Observations: Let’s credit this to the Wings bearing down more than the Canucks breaking down. I don’t know how true that is, but it doesn’t really matter. Detroit didn’t get sloppy.
There really wasn’t a player who had a bad game in this one. Dylan Larkin played the first like he was going to single-handedly ensure a win. Kinda bummed he didn’t get a hatty, but I’m happy to see Gustav Lindström get on the scoreboard twice and Michael Rasmussen have a good game in front of his parents.
One day off and then the Alberta teams back-to-back.
Prayers to those in East Lansing. I’m sorry.