After last night’s loss in New York, the Red Wings hint at changes to their goaltending.
The Detroit Red Wings addressed their goaltending depth during the offseason by acquiring veteran James Reimer from the San Jose Sharks and bringing in Alex Lyon from the Florida Panthers to serve as backups to their starter, Ville Husso. They have been one of the few NHL teams this year to carry all three goaltenders on their roster, although Lyon has not yet received his first start with Detroit. However, following last night’s 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers, the Red Wings have indicated that they will be re-evaluating their goaltending situation.
Ville Husso’s goals against average leaves plenty to be desired
Husso hasn’t sported the best numbers in terms of his goals-against average this season, as he currently sits 57th overall among NHL goaltenders with a 3.57 goals-against average. Meanwhile, Reimer sits at 3rd overall with a much more digestible 1.52 goals against average. Head coach Derek Lalonde has already indicated that Reimer will be playing tomorrow night against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Red Wings are set to re-evaluate their goaltending
Lalonde also stated that re-evaluations were on the way in the wake of Ville Husso’s latest performance.
“We’re still going to re-evaluate the whole goalie big picture after tomorrow’s game,” Lalonde said after practice Wednesday.
“Look at our goaltending on a whole, we are almost at the bottom of the entire league in all statistical categories,” Lalonde said. “That said, full confidence in Ville, love how he’s battling.”
As far as getting Lyon a start in the near future, Lalonde stated that Reimer’s strong play has made that difficult.
“It’s real when I talk about getting Alex in,” Lalonde said. “James’ play has made that hard on us.
“We’re still in the midst of evaluating Alex and wanting to get him in. Obviously, a little complicated with two games before the Europe trip. It’s in discussion. We probably haven’t come up with a final plan yet. The only thing final is James is playing (Thursday) and we’ll probably re-evaluate after that.”
Regarding Reimer, he expresses feeling “blessed” to have had the opportunity to play the game he loves for an extended period and is enthusiastic about the current opportunity.
“I’ve been blessed to play this game for a few seasons now. I think as you get older, you take it less and less for granted and you want to make every day count, getting a chance to play for such a great organization and a team that’s building and has high aspirations and high expectations.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- The Red Wings faced an unfortunate outcome in last night’s game against the New York Rangers, with goaltender Ville Husso conceding five goals in a 5-3 loss.
- Head coach Derek Lalonde has indicated that assessments and changes are in store for their goaltending department.
- James Reimer, who serves as the backup to Ville Husso, expresses his gratitude for the chance to play and is eager to continue his strong performance throughout the year.
Bottom Line: Can Detroit rebound against Montreal?
Tomorrow night’s game at Little Caesars Arena is a crucial divisional matchup as the Detroit Red Wings face the Montreal Canadiens, a team they’ll be competing with for a playoff spot.
The game is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM EST and will be broadcast locally on Bally Sports Detroit, with radio coverage on 97.1 The Ticket.
