Three Takeaways from Red Wings’ 5-1 Preseason Loss to Pittsburgh

Maybe it was because Detroit’s Monday night game against Pittsburgh was a rescheduled tilt due to travel delays. Maybe it was because a largely AHL half of the team was playing a simultaneous preseason game in Buffalo. Or maybe it was because the neighboring Detroit Lions were playing a Monday Night Football game across the street.

For whatever reason you attribute it to, the Red Wings’ 5-1 preseason loss to the Penguins was a good represrntation of the flat energy inside Little Caesars Arena. Detroit’s performance was largely ho hum, as a mostly NHL roster succumbed to an AHL centric Penguins team.

In such a lopsided loss, there were certainly big takeaways. Let’s get into them.

Power Play Struggles to Create Meaningful Chances Despite Ample Opportunities

Detroit might have scored a power play goal off the stick of Lucas Raymond, but that didn’t make up for an inefficient and indecisive night for the man advantage. The Red Wings earned six power plays, accumulating more than half a period of power play time, and yet they only mustered five shots in this span. They also let up a shorthanded goal due to a defensive miscue.

Considering the bulk of this ice time went to what amounts to Detroit’s top NHL power play, this performance raised major red flags about where the man advantage is at heading into the season.

Detroit’s problems were two-fold. For one, the Red Wings weren’t decisive, finding wide open shooting lanes but passing up these opportunities to pursue potentially better shots. Whether a problem of overthinking or a lack of confidence, not shooting the puck failed to take advantage of any lanes Pittsburgh gave up. Even if the Penguins might have made the save on a shot attempt, Detroit’s decisions to not shoot the puck all but made the save for their opponent.

“If you look too hard, the opportunity usually goes away,” Lucas Raymond said of the decision process behind taking a power play shot. “So I think you gotta take the shot that you’re given, and then usually something else will open up. So I think I’d rather shoot it too much than not too much. I mean, that’s a huge part, and we have a lot of great shooters, so shooting it, retrieving it and repeat.”

Detroit didn’t do that Monday, but this decision process wasn’t the only issue it faced. The Red Wings also didn’t cleanly win their rebounds when they did shoot the puck. This allowed the Penguins to clear the zone, or otherwise return to their structure.

“The one power play, we scored, we were able to retrieve the puck,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said after the game. “We probably had three loose puck retrievals, and then we end up scoring, spending a full two minutes on the power play. The other one, we just lost some battles. We couldn’t keep the play alive. It ended up going 200 feet, it just deflates your power play. But again, the reps are important, and we got a lot of them tonight on our power play.”

It’s better that these errors come in the preseason, giving the Red Wings time to sort out these issues as best they can before the reps count for real. Lalonde confirmed that power play considerations will play a big factor in how he assigns its members to the remaining preseason schedule. He wants to give the unit more looks to address its shortcomings.

Young Guns Provide Spark in Otherwise Quiet Outing

Buried as the fourth line behind mostly NHL combinations, the trio of Carter Mazur, Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren brought the juice during otherwise sleepy stretches of the game. While the unit surrendered a goal at five-on-five, they showed consistent poise in breaking out of the zone and building play in a positive direction.

For perhaps the most outmatched unit compared to its NHL line counterparts, this was a promising performance from the group of youths. Lalonde said that the Kasper-led fourth line stood out to the coaches after the first and second periods as a particularly effective unit.

“They were some of our more impactful players, our young guys, because they were competing,” Lalonde explained. “They were winning battles. Very noticeable.”

Lalonde paid credit to Nate Danielson, too, who centered Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane on the second line. It was a big cameo for the young center to play with those two, but his performance didn’t carry the same gusto as his peers on the fourth line. He was on the ice for three goals against, and his line struggled to keep play in the offensive end where Tarasenko and Kane are most effective. Being in that position at all is a positive for Danielson, though he will want to find better results in the future.

These performances come with different stakes. Berggren is all but penciled into the lineup for now because he is waiver eligible, the other three — Kasper, Mazur and Danielson — are also pushing for roster spots however unavailable they might be. At the very least, performances like these are useful for showing that they are ready to perform if given the opportunity at some point now or in the future.

Talbot, Cossa Both Lackluster in Net

Pittsburgh fired off 35 shot attempts and five — including an empty-netter — found the back of the net. The reason for such a high shooting percentage can be attributed to a number of reasons, including a lack of blocked shots and missed defensive assignments. But even considering these details, Monday’s performance from Detroit’s goaltenders was rather middling.

Free agent pickup Cam Talbot played the first two periods against the Penguins, letting in two goals on 11 shots on goal. 2021 first round pick Sebastian Cossa played the final frame and let in two goals on 10 shots on goal.

“I’ve liked Talbot all through camp. I thought he was sharp,” Lalonde said. “We kind of left him out to dry on the shorty, which was a little disappointing, hopefully a learning lesson for us. And then Cossa, obviously the first shot’s through traffic — perfect shot there. He probably didn’t look as comfortable as he did the other night. Even on some of his saves, he couldn’t find the puck. And again, that’s why these games are very important for young players.”

Lalonde’s assessment reflects the criticism to be taken from a preseason game, but Talbot’s performance was more uninspiring than his coach made it seem. Sure, his defense let a few Penguins skate unchecked near the crease. And yes, Talbot didn’t have much help when a streaking Lars Eller cashed that shorthanded chance against him. But Talbot’s details were also imperfect. He nearly let in routine pucks, like his first save on a five-hole shot he just barely closed his pads in time to stop. His rebound control was sloppy, even more so considering the quality of opponent. His details were also lacking, like when he dropped his stick while teeing up a puck behind the net for his defense.

Put this all in its proper context. It’s hard to take true issue with Talbot’s performance considering the defensive miscues in front of him and the overall sleepy tone of the game, but the appearance wasn’t very inspiring for a goaltender expected to play a significant part in Detroit’s rotation this season.

For Cossa, inheriting a 2-1 deficit was a valuable game situation for him to experience. The way Lalonde sees it, Monday night’s 2-1 situation starting the third period was a way to give Cossa as close to intense stakes as he can get in a preseason bout. He had a chance to win the game, with Detroit controlling momentum in the second frame.

Instead, the first shot Cossa faced went in top shelf. The rest of the night was so-so, but battling through this adversity is useful for a young netminder to experience.

“I know it’s the preseason, I know it’s exhibition. You can sit back and say you don’t really care about winning or losing, but the guys do,” Lalonde said. “… That’s a good battle for him. Now, it goes 3-1 on the first shot, and you want to see him fight through it. That’s why game situations are important for anyone, especially a young goalie like that.”

An AHL-Centric Overtime Loss in Buffalo

The Red Wings’ NHL group stayed put in Detroit, while a group of mostly AHL players took the plane ride to Buffalo for Monday’s originally scheduled game against the Sabres. Grand Rapids coach Dan Watson and Toledo coach Pat Mikesch helped coach the group while the NHL staff stayed put in Detroit.

Detroit lost the road game in overtime, with goals from Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Elmer Soderblom and William Lagesson. Both Alex Lyon and Jack Campbell saved 20 of the 22 shots they each faced, with Lyon starting the first two periods and Campbell finishing the third and overtime.

Breaking through for a goal was a big step for Brandsegg-Nygard, who has had trouble asserting himself in this training camp. Soderblom and Lagesson should be leaned upon in Grand Rapids this season, so their performances were a positive sign, especially with their AHL coach behind the bench.

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