Daniil Tarasov’s first night in a Red Wings sweater went as cleanly as a preseason opener can for a goalie. The newcomer stopped all 15 shots he saw Monday at Nationwide Arena, giving Detroit a steady start before Michal Postava took over and delivered a strong finish in the Red Wings’ 1-0 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a three-round shootout.
Tarasov, the free-agent addition brought in to replace Cam Talbot, handled the first two periods against a Blue Jackets lineup that was also short on NHL regulars. He saw only three shots in the opening frame, then faced a busier second period and turned away all 12 attempts in that stretch. By the time Postava entered in the third, the game was still scoreless, and the goalie expected to begin the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins kept Detroit in it by stopping six shots in the third and four more in overtime.
Detroit’s offense never found enough rhythm to back up the goaltending. The Wings put 11 shots on goal in the first period, then managed just seven over the rest of regulation and none in overtime.
Several prospects and depth pieces got the chance to show themselves in the first road preseason game. Nate Danielson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Carter Mazur traveled with the team, and that trio could still be together when the season opens Oct.
- Detroit also dressed one NHL line of J.T.
Compher between Michael Rasmussen and Keegan Kolesar, while other forward groups featured Sheldon Dries with Carter Bear and John Leonard, plus Dominik Shine with Dylan James and Kienan Draper.
On the back end, William Wallinder was in the lineup as he continues to push for a job after running out of waiver exemptions. The same was true for Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Shai Buium, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Anton Johansson and Jacob Bryson.
The shootout was short and decisive. Conor Garland scored in the first round, and Detroit’s chances unraveled from there.
Sandin-Pellikka went out for the Wings’ first attempt, but the puck slipped off his stick. Danielson tried to answer in the second round, only to be denied by Pheonix Copley with a blocker save.
John Leonard’s wrist shot in the third round also came up empty, leaving Detroit 0-for-3.
Special teams had their moments, too. The Wings killed all four Columbus power plays in regulation, including the final one with 2:07 left after Shine was assessed two minutes for cross-checking Guillaume Richard and five for fighting Max McCue.
McCue had challenged Shine after the cross-check and was also sent off for fighting. Detroit, meanwhile, got three power-play chances in regulation and produced only two shots.
The preseason schedule keeps moving quickly. The Wings head to Pittsburgh on Tuesday to face the Penguins at 7 p.m., with starting goalie John Gibson set to play the first two periods.
In Other News...
Red Wings Just Got An Early Injury Watch In Columbus
A preseason tuneup in Columbus brought an early injury note for a Blue Jackets defense group that could matter to the Red Wings once the games start counting. Dante Fabbro, projected to open the regular season on the third pairing, was knocked out of the game with an upper-body injury and did not return, adding a little uncertainty to a blue line that is still sorting itself out before opening night.
For Detroit, it is the sort of roster wrinkle worth watching because it can affect how Columbus lines up in division play. If Fabbro is sidelined, veteran Erik Gudbranson is the most likely option to step in, which would give the Blue Jackets a different look on the back end while they wait for more clarity on Fabbros status. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings May Have One Wild Shot To Fix Their Center Problem
Detroits search for help down the middle has already turned into one of the more interesting roster questions of the preseason, and one possible answer sits in the restricted free-agent market. The Red Wings have been casting around for ways to bolster their center depth, and the idea of taking a big swing on a young, high-end talent has come into view as the kind of aggressive move that can change the look of a lineup in a hurry.
The appeal is obvious: a player with top-line upside would immediately address a need that has lingered for Detroit, even if the path to getting him is loaded with risk and complications under the NHLs collective bargaining agreement. Any offer-sheet pursuit would be the sort of cap-and-picks gamble that forces a team to weigh the long-term cost against the chance to land a difference-making center now, which is why this kind of possibility tends to linger until the final moment before the window closes. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Gave Fans An Early Preseason Problem To Debate
The first preseason look at the Red Wings gave fans plenty to sort through, and not much of it was clean. Detroit and Columbus skated through regulation and overtime scoreless in a game that featured plenty of rust, plenty of penalties and very little chemistry from either side, even if Michal Postava did give the Wings a few reasons to feel better about the goaltending picture with a handful of notable stops.
It all still came down to the shootout, where the Blue Jackets found the one opening that mattered and Detroit could not answer. Daniil Tarasov, back in Nationwide Arena after his time in Columbus, kept his end tidy in a game that fit the preseason mold, but the Red Wings were left with the sort of early debate that tends to follow October hockey: enough positives to keep watching, and enough loose ends to wonder how quickly they can be tightened up. [Read more 🡒]