Detroit Red Wings Review March 8-14, 2021

Broken Wings – Tyler Bertuzzi continues to be out with an upper body injury. Dylan Larkin and Troy Stecher both returned for the Red Wings this week. Adam Erne left Thursday’s game after taking a hard right hand in a fight but returned Sunday. The Wings remained COVID free for the week.

Wing Movement – Evgeny Svechnikov was assigned to Grand Rapids.

Game Review – The Red Wings played three games this week. They opened the week with a two-game series against the NHL best Tampa Bay Lightning. The wings played well in both games, losing in OT on Tuesday, and winning 6-4 on Thursday. On Sunday, the Wings played Carolina. Despite playing well, Detroit almost got blanked by Carolina for the second time this season, falling 2-1 on a late goal by Anthony Mantha. They finished the week with three out of six points. The Wings are in last (8th) in the Central Division and 30th in the NHL with a 8-17-4 record.

Talking Hockey – This week, the Red Wings were forced to play the top team in the NHL three times. Tampa was undisputed as the NHL’s top team on Tuesday and Thursday, Carolina was tied for the NHL lead on Sunday. Despite playing top teams all week, the Wings played competitive games. On Thursday, they held a 5-2 lead over Tampa before almost allowing the Lightning to come back and tie it up. Failing to pounce on rebounds cost Detroit the win on Sunday in a game where they were competitive from start to finish.

Player of the Week – Filip Hronek – Hronek finished the week with five points, all assists. Hronek is the team leader in Assists and Points, with 15 each. He hasn’t scored a goal all season but his offensive play from the blue line this week was instrumental in Detroit staying in games.