Detroit, MI – Tonight at Little Caesars Arena, the Red Wings earned a 2-0 victory over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks thanks to second-period goals from Christian Fischer and Vladimir Tarasenko. Alex Lyon made 13 saves in 40 minutes, then Cam Talbot made nine more in the third period to complete the combined shutout. With both lineups featuring a steep divide between projectable NHL and AHL talent, it may not have been the most educational game regarding the Red Wings’ future, but here are three observations about the night’s action.
Copp Line wastes little time removing rust
At a time of year when change and experimentation are the norm, the Red Wings have shown one clear constant in personnel throughout training camp and the early stages of the preseason: last year’s trusted third line, Andrew Copp, between Michael Rasmussen and Christian Visser.
© Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn images
According to Derek Lalonde, the plan was to experiment more, but the comfort of the ever-reliable trio was too much to pass up. When asked about the reliability of the Copp trio, the coach replied: “Probably we even had the plan to be a bit more fluid with our lines at least in pre-season, and we will still have some different looks , but as camp progresses, I’ve gotten a little more comfortable [with] keeping a few guys together with that project as a line, and that’s definitely one of them. I think there’s a comfort level with that group, and I think there’s an identity that they formed late last year, so I think not only a comfort from me with them, I think there’s a comfort between the three of them .”
Tonight, Fischer scored the opener just over four minutes into the second inning, but the line had long since made its impact. They seemed to spend the duration of their shifts in the first period in the offensive zone, barely relenting as the game progressed. The line could easily have found a second and even a third by the end of the evening.
“In both formations there’s a lot of inexperience and a lot of young guys are getting opportunities… so, in my opinion, if you look at my game, you’re just trying to get your basic principles back,” Fischer offered, when asked what he plans to take. from a pre-season match. “A lot of details in your game that tend to slip away in the summer. Something as simple as stopping pucks… Copper stays down in the D-zone, makes sure we get the puck out, tracking, very simple things that makes the identity of our line.”
To Fischer’s first point, it’s worth noting that the smart but simple veteran style of he, Copp and Rasmussen may be perfectly suited to dominate preseason competition that may be skilled, but a a little bit of cleverness. For a long time this evening, it felt a bit like the three forwards were offering a clinic to a young NHL-style Blackhawks lineup to generate offense in the cycle. It won’t be this easy every night, but it’s been an excellent start to the year for Detroit’s Identity line.
Tarasenko’s debut yields mixed results
Vladimir Tarasenko’s debut in Detroit featured the scoring goal everyone wants to see from him, but it wasn’t exactly a masterclass. Tarasenko spent most of his night on a line with JT Compher and Jonatan Berggren, and the line realistically spent too much time in the defensive zone given the quality of the competition. That said, Tarasenko and Berggren also seemed to show the first signs of developing chemistry, consistently combining with each other, including near misses on a cross-ice pass from Tarasenko to Berggren in the first period and another missed connection on a two – at one in the third.
The goal for Tarasenko came at the end of a long period of power play. An Isaak Phillips double-minor for high-sticking sent the Red Wings to the man advantage, which was compounded three minutes later by a cross-check from Frank Nazar. During the opening five-on-four, Detroit’s unit of Tarasenko, Berggren, Copp, Compher and Moritz Seider struggled to break down the Chicago PK, looking a bit too passive and deferential to create quality chances. However, at five-on-three they showed more signs of life, a high-effort play from Copp kept the Wings on the attack, before Copp finally found Tarasenko in the slot for the goal.
“It takes some time,” Lalonde said when asked about the process of learning the game from a newcomer like Tarasenko. “He’s clearly a more experienced player who you’ve seen a bit in the competition. You get a bit of an idea of his type of game, but it takes some time to experience it day in day out. With Vlad I have can even appreciate the fact that he’s played some team-first games tonight, and he’s obviously a guy you want goals from, so I think it’s positive that he scored tonight.”
As the preseason progresses and eventually gives way to the regular season, it will be interesting to monitor whether Berggren remains a serious candidate to play with Compher and Tarasenko. His relationship with Tarasenko is promising, but also cause for concern. The natural alternative for Berggren in that spot would probably be Patrick Kane. Kane could likely show similar offensive chemistry, though he might not be able to help much in mitigating the “too much time in the D-zone” part of the equation. It’s worth keeping an eye on as we head towards the games that really count.
A note about “A’s”
Finally, tonight’s game offered some (perhaps) interesting insight into the state of the Red Wings’ leadership council. With no Dylan Larkin in the lineup, neither Red Wing wore a ‘C’, while Compher and Seider each wore an ‘A’. Both Seider and Compher are natural choices for the role, but that meant Ben Chiarot and Andrew Copp (who both wore “A” last season) did not.
“I think this could provide an opportunity to evaluate all of our (players) with an open spot, if you will,” Lalonde said after the Red-White game in Traverse City. “We’re asking guys to lead, whether they wear a letter or not. We’ve done a really good job in that locker room building our leadership core. There’s a lot of different guys involved. We’re not in a rush to do that in any way along. We’ll probably look at a lot of different things.”
Tonight, the possibility that Copp or Chiarot will find themselves in a potential alternate captain rotation is by no means ruled out, and Lalonde’s point about the letters themselves having limited meaning is well taken. If anything, tonight’s choices confirm Lalonde’s commitment to evaluating roles before making final decisions.
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