Down 2-0 halfway through the first period, Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg scored a beautiful wrap around goal on the Toronto Maple Leafs to bring the Red Wings within one. Take a look:
Zetterberg goal pic.twitter.com/wnOitYpUZy
— steph (@myregularface) October 19, 2017
The veteran forward beat goaltender Curtis McElhinney to the far post. Here it is at another angle:
pic.twitter.com/1Y5bk8cpwJ
— steph (@myregularface) October 19, 2017
It was beautiful. However, the close game quickly got out of control. Before the first period was over, the Leafs chased Jimmy Howard, who allowed three goals on four shots. The Wings’ starting goalie was replaced by Petr Mrazek with just over four minutes left to go in the first. Mrazek gave up another goal before the period ended. Detroit headed to the locker room down 4-1 after 20 minutes of play on the road.
Going into tonight’s game, Zetterberg had seven points with three goals in six games. Meanwhile, Howard’s stunning save percentage he started the season with continues to decline. In his last start on Monday, October 16, Howard allowed three goals on 26 shots against. The Tampa Bay Lightning handed the Wings a 3-2 loss, their first of the season at Little Caesars Arena.
Embed from Getty Images
Howard’s save percentage will drop to .922 after tonight’s performance. And, unfortunately, Mrazek’s play has continued to mimic what we saw in the preseason. In just two starts, he’s allowed six goals on 59 shots for a .898 save percentage. That was before tonight. Without improvement in the net, a bounce-back season is unlikely for the Wings.
Up next, Detroit will face the Washington Capitals at home on Friday, October 20, at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
This post first appeared on Detroit Sports Nation | Giving The Fans A Voice, please read the originial post: here
