A comeback effort from the Red Wings proved too little too late at the Joe Louis Arena Tuesday. They allowed the New Jersey Devils turnovers on the puck that led to their 4-3 win. Two shorthanded goals and a fight from goaltender Cory Schneider helped them get back on the winning side of the game.
The Red Wings played their first game in almost a week needing to make the second half of the season their best. After a 4-0 loss at home against Toronto, it was Detroit’s mission to play a more well-rounded game where every aspect of their offense improves. Goaltender Jared Coreau was in net for his team with every intention on being at his best. Their power play was another aspect of the need for improvement sitting dead last in the lead where a change could be the solution to finishing ahead of the Devils. New Jersey also comes off the break with a loss last week against Washington hoping that their time off produces the competitive spirit.
They did indeed come out to scare Detroit early with an odd man rush right from the opening faceoff. Danny DeKeyser came just in the nick of time to block the scoring chance but the Devils remained relentless. They eventually got the best of the Red Wings defense with Stefan Noesen scoring 1:28 into the period for his fourth of the season. At the five-minute mark, New Jersey recorded four shots in the first five minutes while Detroit hadn’t shot one on net. They got a chance to get on the board in their first power play after Justin Abdelkader got tripped up.
Instead of leveling things up, their special teams made a huge mistake in the neutral zone losing control of the puck. It was then that Kyle Palmieri made the interception and ran into the Detroit zone scoring while shorthanded for his 12th. Detroit still had 45 seconds left on the man advantage but the team couldn’t convert on the chance. Through 13 minutes, the Red Wings had only taken two shots on net while the Devils clearly were at a perfect pace on the ice with nine shots having challenged Coreau.
In the final minutes, Detroit added another few shots to their record while holding off the Devils from any further offense to score goals. New Jersey ended the period with a 10-6 run while up a pair on the Red Wings.
They continued being the dominant force in the second taking the shots while holding time with the pucks that left very little for Detroit to work with. The Red Wings only had four shots through nine minutes of play but received the best chance of the net to end the shutout. A second power play came into the works but another Devils penalty allowed Detroit a 5 on 3 for 1:16.
The Red Wings never produced a shot in their time with the man advantage that sent boos from their own fans after the penalties expired. Detroit tried to make something happen with six minutes left with two good chances in the Devils zone with Dylan Larkin getting a shot at Schneider. The rebound came back for Darren Helm to take a scoring chance but the six foot three netminder made the save.
More attempts came from Detroit with Anthony Mantha almost getting one in on a high shot but Schneider made the save with his shoulder that ricocheted away from the net. It sent Detroit ahead on shots to the net but with time falling off the clock, the Devils two goal lead looked bigger than ever to overcome. Work from Gustav Nyquist allowed the Red Wings to get within one as the Swede made his mark on the puck waiting for assistance. He found it in captain Henrik Zetterberg skating in for the pass where he went in scoring his tenth.
The goal shattered Schneider’s shutout while also ending a scoreless streak at home that lasted 168 minutes. Just when it looked as if a goal would sit between New Jersey and Detroit to end the period, the Devils made a change prior to the horn. Palmieri added his second of the night with 34 ticks on the clock giving his team back a two-goal lead to start the third. Palmieri’s goal allowed New Jersey to edge ahead of Detroit on shots to the net making it very difficult for the Red Wings to make a statement last.
The third was important for the Red Wings to become consistent and play tough against the Devils. Very little shots came from them or New Jersey as it was apparent that they wanted to keep things light for Detroit if it meant keeping their lead. Detroit had another power play come their way but it went sour for a second time. As the Devils sent the puck around the boards Frans Nielsen got on the puck but it made a bounce he didn’t expect. It was then that Adam Henrique took off with the puck scoring the team’s second shorthanded goal and his 13th of the year.
The Red Wings couldn’t let another power play get out of hand and used the remaining time to produce a goal. Tomas Tatar got himself to a dozen this season with a shot he didn’t expect to get through traffic. The puck found enough room behind Schneider to cut New Jersey’s lead in half. Less than six minutes remained in regulation with two goals still holding the Devils ahead of Detroit.
The Red Wings began to show plenty of effort but the defense from New Jersey was strong enough to clear out the troubles in their own zone. A play in front of the Devils crease saw a battle to get the puck in by the Red Wings. On an attempt from Nick Jensen, he got his stick on a still puck between the five hole of Schneider to get within a goal.
A huge chance to level the game came with 2:16 on the clock as Palmieri took an interference penalty giving Detroit a chance to make good of the man advantage. With 87 seconds left, Detroit put six skaters on ice to get the tying goal behind Schneider. Their attempts didn’t work out leading the Red Wings to use their timeout.
Despite their attempts on net, none fared well to get an open scoring line against the Devils as they proved their worth on defense holding off Detroit’s desperate movements to win the game in regulation. Schneider got an important win for his team on a night where they saw their netminder make 27 stops for a .900 save percentage.
Coreau had a similar night on his hands stopping 20 of 24 but taking on another loss. With time to figure things out before the season got way out of hand, the Red Wings could focus on Friday when they host the New York Islanders.
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