Red Wings – Canadiens Game Notes

Maybe I’m just feeling optimistic this morning but I don’t count last night’s loss to Montreal as being too bad of a loss to take.

The Red Wings didn’t do a lot that was outright wrong. They got outplayed in what was mostly an energy issue, not a talent issue. They weren’t as effective in the corners as they needed to be and it cost them scoring chances.

The first and third Montreal goals were almost entirely luck. Yeah, if you feel like goalie-bashing you can say Conklin should have been more careful on the first goal but on a night where the whole team was a little slow I don’t think he should be singled out.

Montreal’s second goal? A thing of beauty. The Wings probably should have been able to clear the zone so while a defensive lapse was a part of it, you can’t discount the really nice play by the Canadiens.

Unfortunately you can’t count the Wings’ lone goal as an example of good team play, that was just a huge individual efford by Johan Franzen.

In all, I don’t think we can look at this game and start screaming it’s the end of the world. How the team responds will be key, though.