Wow ... what a ride that was.
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Red Wings roar back to win in OT
Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond went to work in the 3rd period to suddenly swing the Red Wings into a 3-3 tie with the Sabres, roaring back from trailing 3-1 to force overtime. And that’s where the real magic happened.
Moritz Seider jumped off the bench about midway through OT to catch a pass from Bertuzzi at the Sabres’ blue line. Seider fended off a Sabre like he was nothing but an annoying fly and walked toward the net. He had his head up the entire way and did not hesitate to reach far side and bury the puck, and the Sabres, 4-3.
That was amazing. That was Seider’s first NHL goal. It certainly was not the play you expect to see from a rookie. He is, indeed, the real deal.
As for rookie Raymond, he picked up three assists -- a playmaker. He and Bertuzzi both had a strong game. But for most of the game the Red Wings struggled as a team to get much offensive momentum against the Sabres. The goal slump of the previous three games had made its way to Buffalo.
That changed after about 5 minutes into the third period as the Raymond, Pius Suter and Bertuzzi line finally got better looks. They deserved it. Suter finished the game with a goal and an assist (and 7 shots on goal!), and Bertuzzi finished with 2 goals and 2 assists. Bert now leads the Red Wings with 8 goals.
That is an impressive finish to a tough road trip. The Red Wings coming back in the 3rd period like this would not have happened the previous two seasons. That’s the difference we were hoping to see Sunday night -- the competitive will to stay in the fight and give themselves a chance.
Full game recap: Seider scores in OT as Red Wings beat Sabres 4-3
Back home for Vegas; Larkin?
The Wings are hurrying back to Detroit where they’ll host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday (6 p.m.). There has not been an update on Dylan Larkin’s status -- he has missed the past three games due to “personal reasons.” The team has not elaborated.
It’s not very often you see a team’s top player leave the lineup for undisclosed reasons for more than a few days. This is odd. Obviously, we hope everything is OK. Larkin has stayed on the actual active roster and has been considered a healthy scratch. This has allowed the Red Wings keep Joe Veleno in the lineup without having to take someone else out.
Veleno, meanwhile, has cooled off after a goal and an assist in his season debut. That’s despite an uptick in ice time, too. He saw 19 shifts for 15:55 of ice time in Buffalo.
Moritz Seider, the real deal
Thus far, Seider is everything we could have hope he would be and more. He’s 20 years young. He’s only going to get better. Yes, he’s a great skater with wonderful stick skills, but it’s his strength and awareness that impress me the most. This “kid” does not look like a rookie. Period. Only Filip Hronek is averaging more ice time than Seider right now.
Bertuzzi is key
Clearly, the Red Wings cannot afford to be without Bertuzzi. He now leads the team with 13 points (8G, 5A). He is their spark plug, their motor, their heart.
The good news: Detroit’s next game in Canada is not until Feb. 26 against the Maple Leafs.
Coming up:
- Sunday, Nov. 7 -- 6 p.m. home vs. Golden Knights
- Tuesday, Nov. 9 -- 7:30 p.m. home vs. Oilers
- Thursday, Nov. 11 -- 7:30 p.m. vs. Capitals