Red Wings look to bounce back in key game against North Stars

Detroit, Michigan (AP) – After back to back losses, the 24-8-3 Detroit Red Wings will face off against the Minnesota North Stars (24-7-4) in what is a key litmus test for both clubs as they battle each other (and other teams) for the coveted top spot in the conference. In their last two games, Detroit has allowed a surprising 13 goals against, which has pushed Detroit’s goalie Vanbiesbrouck down to 3^rd among starting goalies in the league with a 2.67 GAA and 89.8 SV%.

The first loss, against the Penguins was a 7-5 game which was a weird one. Pittsburgh raced to a 5-1 first period lead, then a 7-1 lead half way through the 2^nd period before Detroit caught fire and almost came close enough to tie the game. Three late 2^nd period goals and an early 3^rd period goal made Penguin fans sweat no doubt but that was as close as they would come as they couldn’t seem to break down Pittsburgh’s defenses after that 5^th goal. The game saw Detroit lose top defender Ray Bourque to injury in the first period and the loss of that key player seemed to be a major reason why the team went on to lose their next game in a rather defensive porous fashion.

Going 0-7 in that 2^nd game didn’t do any favours for the club as the team lost 6-4 to a very good Vancouver club. Similar to the previous game, Vancouver did a ton of damage in the first period – scoring 4 times. That’s now 9 goals allowed in their last two first periods – so needless to say, tomorrow’s game against Minnesota will be interesting to see how it starts and if Detroit can reverse the trend. In this game, however, both teams exchanged 4 goal outbursts in the first period. Goalie Felix Potvin had a rough night, allowing 4 goals on just 8 shots in that first period. Vancouver would get the game winner in the 2^nd period and the insurance marker mid way in the 3^rd.

After the game against Minnesota, Detroit hits the road to face off against the NY Rangers (15-17-3) before coming back home to do battle against the struggling Blackhawks (8-28-2). Detroit would certainly help their cause with a win over Chicago as the team currently holds that club’s first round pick in the upcoming draft.