Red Wings lose another one late
Red Wings lose another one late
DETROIT -- Stick with the process.
That is the mantra that Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill continues to preach to his team. But with each mounting loss, it’s possible that this blueprint is becoming a much harder sell.
As the season of giving fast approaches, the Wings could be wondering exactly when they will get their just rewards.
Monday, for the second straight game, the Wings played well. They created chances. They dominated play at times. And, for the second straight game, they lost.
Mike Matheson scored 2:02 into overtime as the Florida Panthers rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Red Wings.
Vincent Trocheck also scored for the Panthers, while Henrik Zetterberg had the Red Wings goal.
Afterward, Blashill again counseled his team that they are doing things the right way, and that eventually, it will pay dividends.
He knows that’s easier said than done.
”Here’s the biggest thing, and it’s the hardest thing to do in life -- to trust in the process when you’re not getting results,“ Blashill admitted. ”For two games in a row, we’ve got tons of chances, we did tons of things good, and we didn’t get results.
“So, the worst thing you can do is not trust in the process and change the way you’re playing. If we continue to play that way, you’re going to get results. You have to trust that it’s going to happen over time.”
The problem is that time may be running out on the Red Wings. They sit 14th overall in the NHL’s Eastern Conference, four points behind the Boston Bruins for third place and the final Atlantic Division playoff spot. The Bruins, who hold three games in hand on the Red Wings, are in Detroit on Wednesday in what has to be viewed as a must-win game for the Wings.
Things got off to a promising start for the Wings on Monday. With 1:33 remaining in the first period, Detroit captain Zetterberg opened the scoring with his first goal since Oct. 18, ending a 22-game goalless skid. Zetterberg’s original shot hit Matheson, but he gathered up his own rebound and whipped a shot that squeezed between the pads of Panthers goalie James Reimer (34 saves).
“It was nice to see the puck go in,” Zetterberg said. “All we can do is keep creating chances and make sure we’re a little more determined maybe when we get the chances.”
After that, Reimer closed the door, making breakaway stops on Dylan Larkin and Tomas Tatar.
“Reimer was fantastic for us,” Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck said. “He kept us in the game with all of those saves.”
The Panthers tied it on the power play with 10:11 gone in the third period. Cross-checked to the ice by Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall, as he was falling, Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau flipped a back pass across the crease to Trocheck, who drove a shot into the net off the glove of Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard (27 saves).
In the overtime period, after Howard sprawled to make a save on Nick Bjugstad, Matheson pounded a rebound into the net for his first goal of the season.
Beginning a five-game road trip, the Panthers (12-14-4) won in overtime for the first time this season (1-2), while the Wings (11-13-6) dropped to 0-5 in OT this season. The Wings are 1-6-3 in their last nine games.
“We kept our composure when we got down 1-0, and we kept winning battles,” Florida coach Bob Boughner said.
NOTES: Panthers D Aaron Ekblad and Red Wings C Dylan Larkin are two of six players chosen in the 2014 draft who have reached the 100-point plateau in the league. ... Red Wings D/RW Luke Witkowski returned to action for the first since Nov. 9, when he received a 10-game NHL suspension for returning to the ice to rejoin a fight and fought twice with Panthers C Micheal Haley, the NHL leader with nine fighting majors. ... LW David Booth, D Xavier Ouellet and LW Tyler Bertuzzi were healthy scratches for the Wings. ... Detroit RW Anthony Mantha played his 100th NHL game. ... The next point collected by Wings D Mike Green will be his 450th in the NHL. ... Panthers C Aleksandr Barkov returned to action after missing Saturday’s 7-3 loss to Colorado with an upper-body injury. ... Panthers scratches were D Ian McCoshen, LW Dryden Hunt and G Roberto Luongo (lower-body injury). ... Panthers coach Bob Boughner was selected 32nd overall by the Wings in the 1989 draft, ahead of future Hall of Famers Nicklas Lidstrom (53rd) and Sergei Fedorov (74th). Boughner played 630 NHL games, but none with Detroit.