ELMONT, N.Y. — A patched-up Detroit Red Wings group took shape in the team’s first game after the NHL trade deadline.
They played one of a handful of teams standing between the Wings and their faint hopes of climbing into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, taking on the New York Islanders in a Saturday matinee at UBS Arena. The Wings lost, 4-1; their losing streak is now five games, dating back to their brief fling with a wild-card spot.
Dylan Larkin scored his 23rd goal of the season late in the second period. Magnus Hellberg had made 27 saves when Zach Parise scored early in the third period, connecting on Sebastian Aho’s rebound. Anders Lee followed up with a goal less than thee minutes later, and Noah Dobson converted on a power play with 4:19 to play and Lee scored again with 2:38 to play to make it four unanswered goals for the Islanders.
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Hell(berg) of a start
With Ville Husso nursing an undisclosed injury, Hellberg got the start and Alex Nedeljkovic served as backup. Hellberg played as big as his 6-foot-6 frame at the start, denying the Islanders on 18 attempts just in the first period. The Wings didn’t play well defensively and struggled to establish an attack when they gained New York’s zone, registering just six shots on Ilya Sorokin the first 20 minutes. Filip Zadina had one of the better chances, firing a wrist shot from the left circle that Sorokin gloved.
Patched lineup
With Tyler Bertuzzi traded to the Boston Bruins, Oskar Sundqvist sent to the Minnesota Wild and Jakub Vrana dealt to the St. Louis Blues, the Wings were down to 11 forwards. That led to signing Alex Chiasson, a 32-year-old winger who had more than 600 NHL games, spanning 10 seasons, on his résumé. He was signed Friday to a $750,000 pro-rated contract through the end of the season and debuted Saturday on a line with Pius Suter and Adam Erne, in the spot where Sundqvist used to play. Chiasson also played the net-front role on the second power play unit.
Man advantage
The Wings had blown through two power plays, and had more than half a minute with an extra skater on a delayed call late in the second period. Defenseman Filip Hronek (traded to the Vancouver Canucks), Bertuzzi and Sundqvist were all power play regulars, but the moves led to adjustments; one was having Jordan Oesterle run the second unit. The first unit came through with a goal late in the second period, when Larkin took a pass down low from Moritz Seider and lifted the puck into the net.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
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Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings lose fifth straight, 4-1, to New York Islanders
