The Detroit Red Wings praise Ville Husso’s ‘excellent’ performance despite the costly error he committed in last night’s 2nd period.
The Detroit Red Wings found a silver lining as goaltender Ville Husso delivered what could be considered his standout performance of the season, deflecting 37 shots from the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately, a critical error by Husso during the second period allowed Carolina’s Jordan Staal an easy goal, ultimately deciding the game favoring the Hurricanes over the shorthanded Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Despite the 2-1 setback, the Red Wings drew encouragement from the Finnish netminder’s overall performance.
Husso’s costly error stood out in an otherwise solid performance
Midway through the 2nd period of a 1-1 tie, Husso misplayed the puck cleared into Detroit’s zone by Carolina; it careened off the boards and right onto the stick of Staal, who made no mistake and deposited it into the open net.
Facing Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Petr Kochetkov, the Red Wings struggled to breach his defense, managing just one goal despite firing 25 shots on goal. Michael Rasmussen scored the lone goal for the Red Wings, who faced the challenge without key players Dylan Larkin (injured), J.T. Compher (injured), and David Perron (suspended).
For Husso, it was a much-needed performance, as he entered the game with a respectable 9-4-2 record but a concerning goals-against average of 3.68 and a .886 save percentage.
The Detroit Red Wings praise Ville Husso’s performance as “excellent” despite the error
Despite the significant mistake, the Red Wings refrained from scapegoating their goaltender in the aftermath.
“Ville was excellent,” said head coach Derek Lalonde of his performance against the Carolina Hurricanes. “It’s frustrating because his best game in a while then obviously, the miscue, probably reflects our overall game a little bit. We have to be good all the time. Unfortunately, it’s really frustrating. I kind of feel for Ville.”
“Again, his best game,” Lalonde continued. “Again, the wins and losses have been there. It seems like every game there’s a bad goal or two goals. Obviously, tonight was a doozy. It was a pretty good one. But when he looks calm in there and big and seeing pucks … he looked so within his game I knew a third one wasn’t going in. And I haven’t had that feeling in a while.
“He gave us a chance. Even in St. Louis (Tuesday) in the third period he had that same look to him where he’s just finding it and he’s big. Really good on him. That’s good for us going forward.”
Defenseman Ben Chiarot echoed Lalonde’s sentiments, crediting Husso’s play for keeping Detroit in the game and giving them a chance to win that ultimately escaped them.
“I thought he kept us in the game, especially in the first period,” Chiarot said. “Obviously, a tough break on the second one. Mistakes happen. But he kept us in it, especially early on.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- On Thursday night, at Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Red Wings suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Carolina Hurricanes.
- While a critical mistake by goaltender Ville Husso ultimately made the difference, his commendable effort included 37 saves in a solid performance.
- Both head coach Derek Lalonde and defenseman Ben Chiarot acknowledged Husso’s pivotal role, crediting his exceptional play for providing the team with a chance to win. Despite the outcome, they highlighted it as his standout game of the season.
Bottom Line: Red Wings must bounce back to keep pace in the Division
As previously noted, the Red Wings faced the challenge of missing three top-six forwards, and their absence was notably felt on the scoresheet. Detroit’s typically formidable offense struggled to make headway last night, highlighting the potential impact that contributions from the sidelined trio—Larkin, Compher, and Perron—could have made
Unfortunately, the NHL schedule does not pause to accommodate injury concerns, and the Red Wings will have to bounce back tomorrow night when they visit the streaking Philadelphia Flyers. Right now, Detroit occupies the 1st Wild Card playoff spot in the tightly packed Eastern Conference.
