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Red Wings Notebook: Own Goals Are Backbreakers

Power play only saving grace for Detroit

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Ben Chiarot
Ben Chiarot was the third Red Wings defenseman to score in his own net in as many games.

In soccer they call them own goals but for the Detroit Red Wings, they are simply proving to be back breaking tallies. In Wednesday’s 6-2 home-ice loss to the Winnipeg Jets, the Wings were again managing to put the puck in their own net.



Nino Neiderreiter’s one-hand push of the puck toward the Detroit net wound up in the net at the 10-second mark of the third after banking off the skate of Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot.

The goal would up the Winnipeg advantage to 4-2. Detroit had come back strongly in the second period, scoring twice to eat away at the 3-0 advantage the Jets were fashioning in the opening frame.

“We had momentum,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “We earned it. And then the first goal of the third was a backbreaker.

It was just . . . it’s a tough one to watch.”

During Sunday’s 3-2 home-ice overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers, a puck was deflecting into the Detroit net off the leg of the since-traded Olli Maatta. In Saturday’s 5-3 loss at Buffalo, the winning goal for the Sabres bounced into the Red Wings net off the backside of Detroit defenseman Jeff Petry.

Wednesday, Detroit center JT Compher felt that the team needed to do a better job of sucking it up and battling back after the fluke tally.

“It’s a tough goal to let in, but it’s a bad bounce,” Compher said. “That’s all it is. And we’re still in a decent spot to fight back.”

Power Play Red Wings Bright Spot

Those two second-period goals were both coming via the Detroit power play. On an otherwise forgettable night, that unit was the lone bright spot. Detroit went two-for-three win the man advantage.

“It got us straight back into it,” Lalonde said. “That’s what makes the third period even more disappointing. You get those goals we talked about, getting their compete up a bit after the first, winning a few more battles.

“We did that in the second. You feel pretty good about the third. You can just feel the momentum, the chatter. And then just obviously it was a tough first goal against (to start the third period).”

Cy Larkin

One of the joking races that’s followed during the NHL season is the pursuit of the mythical Cy Young Award. It goes to the player with the greatest discrepancy between goals and assists.

As October is coming to a conclusion, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin is making his pitch for the honor. He’s been good for five goals and one assist through 10 games. Over an 82-game season, that pace is going to leave him with 41 goals and nine assists.

Meanwhile, teammate Lucas Raymond’s stat line would suggest he was pitching for the 2024 Chicago White Sox. One month into the season, Raymond is sitting with one goal and nine assists. That computes to 9 goals and 74 assists over the course of 82 games.

Ice Chips

With two assists, Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider was achieving his 29th multi-point game as an NHLer . . . Larkin is leading the Red Wings with three power-play goals . . .Raymond has collected three multi-point games in his last four contests . . . The Wings are 0-2 with forward Austin Watson in the lineup and have been outscored 10-3 in those losses.

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Mike Babcock

You know what a real back breaker is?

Getting dummied in your own end “Globetrotters” style.

It’s happens EVERY game.

And multiple times!

Losey doesn’t seem to have any answer for it.

Play always ends in a goal against or being bailed out by our goalie.

All teams are going to have lapses during a game.

I understand that.

But doesn’t it bug all Red Wings fans this happens to Detroit more than any other team?

It’s embarrassing!

Red Wings lead the NHL in Chinese fire drills! 🤔

Last edited 7 days ago by Mike Babcock