A day before the Detroit Red Wings’ 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, head coach Derek Lalonde reflected on the situation in net. His team’s hopes of having three capable starters gave him plenty to contemplate — a “positive problem,” as he assessed. The Red Wings’ were going to go with the hot hand, with three to choose from. They chose Ville Husso due to his strong preseason play.
But what happens when the hot hand goes cold?
Ville Husso looked like the starter Detroit envisioned him being a year ago — before injuries kept him out of all but one game past December. After a difficult summer spent rehabbing his injuries and getting back to playing shape, the preseason slate showed Husso to be the group’s figurative hot hand most trusted to give a good start.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
Instead, Husso’s night lasted just 21 minutes as he let in four goals on 14 shots before being pulled. After coming back from so much in his recovery process, Husso’s performance isn’t what he or anyone else wanted to come next.
“Obviously, (Husso) didn’t look as sharp as he did in the preseason,” Lalonde assessed after the game, noting how little in-game action Husso has seen this calendar year. “Even, you can just tell, some of the rebound control, some things that were sticking to him or he was controlling in the preseason, (he) didn’t tonight.”
What happens when the second hand proves just as frigid?
Cam Talbot, the goaltender signed to be the most proven starter of the three goalies on roster, came in to relieve Husso, but his performance didn’t alleviate the concerns. In 27 minutes and facing as many shots, Talbot let in two goals — three, if you count a Penguins goal overturned due to a challenge for a hand pass. Even with the caveat of having no warm up on an unplanned appearance, Talbot still didn’t answer the call.
So if Detroit is still looking for the hot hand, where does Lalonde go next?
“Obviously Ville did not look overly comfortable tonight which, again, is understandable with the amount of hockey he’s played,” Lalonde said. “But it really hasn’t changed from the exhibition, preseason — all three guys we have some confidence with.”
Talbot came in as relief, so there’s a bit of leeway one might give to his off performance. The one untapped resource remains Alex Lyon, the third string goaltender who was last season’s starter. But Detroit also has to consider how soon Husso deserves a second chance to prove his abilities.
There’s also a need to assess the defense’s hand in all this, too. The Penguins stormed from the hashmarks in with little to no resistance from the Red Wings. Despite Detroit having physical defenders in Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson and especially Moritz Seider on the roster, they and their teammates proved ineffectual at defending the crease. That’s how Anthony Beauvillier scored Pittsburgh’s first and second goals, and how Drew O’Connor scored the third. It’s also how Kevin Hayes put the exclamation mark on a 6-3 Penguins win with the final tally.
Asked about protecting the net front, Lalonde noted how Detroit couldn’t sustain its control of the details — box outs and arrivals among them — though poor rebound control from the goaltenders also put the defense in tough positions.
As much as Husso and Talbot shoulder blame on the bulk of the six goals Pittsburgh scored, the defense doesn’t escape scot free either.
“You don’t want to see that at all,” captain Dylan Larkin said after the game. “Just a bad second period for all of us, and he’s the one that gets pulled. That’s not fair to him. When a goalie gets pulled, it’s not usually just him — it’s a full lineup that needs to be accountable as well.”
Perhaps Husso can find his footing again. To be clear, it’s hard to put so much stock into one lackluster performance. But when there are three options in net, there’s no guarantees of when Husso will hear his name called once again. After showing that he’s cold, Husso needs to prove he’s the hot hand to get another chance. But to do that, he’s going to need starts. It’s a catch-22 situation.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
“Husso has bounced back from everything he’s gone through,” Larkin said. “We know what kind of player he can be for us, and I know he’ll bounce back from tonight.”
In their first action of the season, Husso and Talbot both showed a need for improvement. And the way that Detroit’s rotation is dictated by metaphorical heat will make it hard for them to get the chance to warm up. The idea of having three goaltenders on the roster is that someone out of the three will prove they are capable of being the starter. The hope is that someone claims the starting job. Neither performance Thursday night offered progress on that front.
Again comes the question of what happens next. Ahead of Saturday’s visit from Nashville, Lalonde indicated that Detroit will discuss whether Talbot or Lyon will get the start.
Meanwhile, the games from here on out only get harder — two games each home and away against the New York Rangers and Predators await the Red Wings in the next two weeks. And a team aspiring to be a playoff contender cannot capitulate to tough matchups, either.
Thursday’s home opener showed a “positive problem” as just a flat out problem, as Detroit has gone negative on answers. If the Red Wings want to get off on the right foot, they need to find one before cold hands turn October into a cold start.
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