Veteran leadership: Patrick Kane accepts responsibility after the Detroit Red Wings fail to score on five power-play chances on Thursday night.
During Thursday night’s 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, the Detroit Red Wings squandered several power play opportunities, further compounding Detroit’s second consecutive regulation defeat. Following the game, veteran forward Patrick Kane took accountability for the team’s power play struggles.
Patrick Kane accepts responsibility for the Red Wings’ inability to score with the man advantage vs. Vancouver
Kane had a prime opportunity to narrow Vancouver’s lead early in the 3rd period, but his shot was thwarted by goaltender Thatcher Demko. This missed chance was emblematic of Detroit’s limited scoring opportunities on the power play, particularly in the game’s opening 20 minutes, where they failed to register a single shot in three power play opportunities.
“Power play has to be better,” Kane said. “A lot of chances tonight, I wasn’t very good on the power play, so I take responsibility for that. You get those chances you want to create momentum. We only gave up 21 shots, so we didn’t really give them much. It would have been nice to capitalize on something in the third down 3-1, any power play throughout the game.”
Meanwhile, goaltender Alex Lyon was victimized for four goals by the Canucks, something that he wasn’t happy about.
“I didn’t love my game tonight, I’ll say flat out,” Lyon said. “That being said, I gave up seven (goals) last game so for me, it’s just re-engaging and you give up the two (goals) in the first period real quick and it turns into a mental grind.
“I want to help the team put a W (victory) on the board, put up zero goals, but it’s just the reality of the situation. You have to grind through that and make sure it doesn’t snowball down the hill.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- The Detroit Red Wings dropped their 2nd straight game, falling 4-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday
- Patrick Kane took responsibility for the power outage, saying that he must perform better
- Goaltender Alex Lyon expressed disappointment in his performance after allowing four goals on 21 shots
Bottom Line: Detroit must rebound
The Red Wings cannot afford to miss out on gaining points in the standings, especially considering the tightly contested Eastern Conference playoff race. They must prevent this losing streak from escalating further.
Their opportunity to turn things around comes on Saturday afternoon as they return to Alberta to face the Calgary Flames. The game is set to commence at 3:30 PM, providing Detroit with a chance to reverse their fortunes.
