The Detroit Red Wings opened the regular season with a four-game homes-stand against the Hurricanes and Blue Jackets. The Red Wings finished last in their conference last season, which resulted in them not playing a game since COVID-19 halted play back in March.
In the first of the four-game home-stand, the Red Wings returned to “Hockeytown” to play Carolina, a team they beat out in 2002, to win the Stanley Cup. The final score saw Carolina shutout the Red Wings by a 3-0 final. They only mustered 14 shots on goal and were 0 for 2 when put on the power play. Thomas Greiss made his team debut, where he stopped 40 of the 43 shots he faced.
Going into the doubleheader, the Red Wings were able to rebound from their shutout loss Thursday, winning 4-2. Jonathan Bernier made his season debut, stopping 29 shots of the 31 he faced. The Wings received goals from Bobby Ryan, two goals from Dylan Larkin and one from centreman Robby Fabbri. Detroit tallied 21 shots while going 0 for 2 when it came to the power play.
Starting a new series with the Blue Jackets, the team paid a visit to the Red Wings in an afternoon bout on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Columbus (1-2-0) took the win in game by a 3-2 final. Thomas Greiss got the nod for New York and stopped 26 shots of the 29 he was faced with.
The two goals for the Red Wings both came from the stick of Bobby Ryan. With his first team since leaving the Senators, Ryan stated he is very excited to play for an Original Six franchise. Detroit took 37 shots on Jonas Korpisalo, meanwhile, once again going 0 for 2 on the power play. Both Ryan and captain Dylan Larkin also dropped the mitts and threw some punches in some scuffles.
In the last one before hitting the road, the Red Wings closed out their home-stand with a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets in overtime. This was another intense game, as Detroit saw the record rise to 2-2-0. Jonathan Bernier stopped 22 shots of the 24 he faced in the series finale.
The Red Wings saw a pair of goals from Antony Mantha, Bobby Ryan and Tyler Bertuzzi. With a great first pair of games in “Hockeytown,” Ryan became the first Red Wing in team history to score 4+ goals in his first three games. Detroit tallied 27 shots on goal and registered their first power play goal on one attempt.
Here is my take on this home-stand: Detroit still needs to work on their shot production, Monday’s game was the bright spot on that accord. Defence seems to be ok right now, as it’s a good feeling to have Danny DeKeyser back in action. I am surprised at the play of Bobby Ryan, knocking home four goals and even dropping the mitts. I hope he continues to be this type of team player.
My three stars of the home-stand:
⭐️ #54 Bobby Ryan, 4 goals
⭐️⭐️ #71 Dylan Larkin, 2 goals, 2 assists
⭐️⭐️⭐️ #45 Jonathan Bernier 2 Wins.
The Red Wings head on a four-game road swing, starting with the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night at United Centre.