Red Wings Can't Withstand Carolina in 4-0 Loss
The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Red Wings 4-0 on Thursday, using transition play and neutral zone control to swarm Detroit all game.
Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports - Red Wings Can't Withstand Carolina in 4-0 LossThe magic number was 19.
It took 19 shots before Red Wings goaltender James Reimer finally let in a goal. Nineteen shots until Carolina’s offense made good on its gaudy shot disparity, Nineteen shots before things got ugly.
In a game Detroit (36-30-7 overall) could’ve really used in its desperate playoff chase, that 19th shot milestone marked the end of the Red Wings’ hopes of a momentum-swinging win. Carolina (45-21-7) and its transition-driven offense swarmed Detroit without giving up much on defense, taking complete control of a game that was never particularly close once they finally solved Reimer.
It all started at 19.
You see, Reimer didn’t play a terrible game, despite what four goals against and a .879 save percentage would tell you at first glance. Instead, the issue lied with the team playing in front of him. The Red Wings, splitting the roster 11/7 because of an illness absence for Patrick Kane and Austin Czarnik, found themselves peppered with shots and parched on the other end. At one point in the first period, the Hurricanes led 14-1 on the shot counter, even if they didn’t score at all in the first frame.
All the while, Reimer made up for the team in front of him. He made a number of glove saves, which not only stopped the initial shot but gave the defense a moment to reset. This calm control helped dampen some short bursts when the Hurricanes won forechecking battles and beat Detroit to the puck.
As much as the disparity in shots suggests a period largely contained in the Red Wings’ zone, they found some time in Carolina’s end. However, these possessions were rarely sustained, and the defensively brilliant Hurricanes transitioned out of their zone with haste.
It was exactly that type of play that led to Carolina’s opening goal 4:42 into the second period. Seth Jarvis carried the puck up ice before moving it to Jake Guentzel, who drew pressure from both Jeff Petry and Simon Edvinsson. With no one marking Sebastian Aho, Guentzel fed him a pass in front and beat Reimer on the 19th shot he faced.
Minutes later on a power play caused by a Petry trip on Guentzel, the same trio struck again. Jarvis scored on another entry play by finding just enough room in front of Ben Chiarot to fire the 2-0 goal — beating Reimer under the blocker on the very next shot.
Detroit gasped at a response with some jump after the 2-0 deficit, but it couldn’t cash in. Those chances included a J.T. Compher breakaway that he sent high and wide of the net. None of them could beat Carolina goaltender Frederik Anderson.
Meanwhile, the deficit only grew for Detroit. On the 22nd shot he faced, Reimer let in a goal he had hardly a chance to save. Martin Necas fired home a one-time feed from Evgeny Kuznetsov. On the play, three Red Wings looked at Kuznetsov with the puck, including Petry who stood right near the post closest to Necas. By the time he turned his head to front the shot, Necas had all but scored it already.
Three saves later, Reimer got a little momentum back, but the team in front of him still couldn’t solve the Hurricanes’ neutral zone structure. On a play turned up ice, Brady Skjei beat Reimer on the Hurricanes’ 26th shot. A long point blast bounced off the boards, and Skjei shot it in from a sharp angled shot that bounced off Reimer. It was the kind of goal almost inexcusable for a goaltender to allow, made worse by the way the deficit jumped from slight to sizable in a matter of minutes.
Seven shots turned four goals. Two possible points turned to dust. If the Red Wings wanted a win against the Hurricanes, they needed Reimer to be water-tight. But without help in front of him, his luck ran out on the 19th shot.
Such prowess in the neutral zone and transition is the M.O. of Carolina under Rod Brind’Amour. Detroit knew that before it even landed in Raleigh. But knowing what to expect and preparing to beat it are two different things, and the Red Wings didn’t execute however they planned to do the latter.
They tried to make a push in the third period to make the game close, but even a full 20 minute period was too short a time frame to mount such a comeback. Detroit took the first six shots of the third period, not allowing a shot for the first four minutes. and finishing the period with a 12-8 edge. But this reversal of roles didn’t reverse the results that had already befallen Detroit. It had dug its hole, and this third period was only an attempt to clean up its mess.
Thursday’s loss stings not only for its result but also the wasted opportunity. Wild card holder Washington lost to Montreal, giving Detroit a chance to pull even and take more control of its playoff hopes.
Instead, from the 19th shot onward, the Red Wings could only watch as their playoff chances continued to dwindle.
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