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Red Wings' rally falls short vs. Jets, drop second straight home game

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News on

Published in Hockey

DETROIT — Some hockey games are mainly decided on what a team does on the power play. Score on it, and you give yourself an edge if play at even strength is even.

The Detroit Red Wings didn't do as well as Winnipeg did on the man advantage Sunday and it helped the Jets to a 3-2 win.

Kyle Connor (Shelby Township) scored two power-play goals and Cole Perfetti had another.

Viktor Arvidsson and Emmitt Finnie had the Wings' goals. Arvidsson's second-period goal ended a 96 minute 52 second scoring drought to open the season, the second longest in Wings' history.

That's two losses to open the season for the Wings (0-2-0), who host Ottawa Tuesday. With seven of eight games at Little Caesars Arena to open the season, the Wings were hopeful of a quick, productive start.

But it's not working out that way.

Finnie had the other Wings' goal, which cut Winnipeg's lead to 3-2 in the third period.

Winnipeg was 3 for 4 on the power play, the Wings' 1 for 5. The Wings had an opportunity to tie the game with a power play at 15:53 of the third period, but couldn't capitalize.

The Wings outshot Winnipeg, 35-27.

After a quiet offensive game in the opener against the New York Rangers, the Wings wanted to be more active around the net and shoot more pucks. The Arvidsson goal was somewhat textbook to end the goal drought. Andrew Copp fired a shot that banked off Arvidsson, who was battling for position to the side of Jets goaltender Stuart Skinner.

Finnie's goal was similar. Exactly the type of goals the Wings need to score right now.

"We have to get traffic at the net for our (defensemen)," said forward Lucas Raymond after the Saturday's practice. "Get a couple dirty ones and create plays. When we have the opportunity, we got to make the play and don’t pass up opportunities. Take it to the net.

 

"A lot of good stuff comes from that as well.”

Finnie drove to the net, was stopped by Skinner, but Michael Brandsegg-Nygard gathered the rebound wheeled behind the net, and fed Finnie in front, who got enough on the shot to score his first goal, at 4:56 of the third period.

Winnipeg's power play was dynamic Sunday and that was the difference.

Perfetti opened the game's scoring 13:04 of the first period. Connor's pass to Perfetti in the slot fluttered off Perfetti's skate and past Gibson.

Connor made it 2-0 with his first of two goals, at 14:36 of the first period, making a nifty move to the net and lifting a backhander over Gibson.

Both those power play goals emanated from a Keegan Kolesar fight with Winnipeg's Tyrel Bauer.

Bauer checked J.T. Compher hard into the boards, a possible interference penalty that wasn't called, and Kolesar took exception. Kolesar may have a slight edge early, but Bauer gathered himself and landed several hard shots on Kolesar who looked dazed coming off the ice (Kolesar did begin the second period).

Kolesar was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving the Jets the power play, as was Compher after Perfetti's goal, forcing the Wings to play shorthanded again.

Connor made it 3-0 at 5:41 of the second period, putting back a rebound past Gibson.

At that point, for the first time in the afternoon, a rather loud "sell the team" chant began, spirited and in full voice, but rather brief.

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