Welcome Home? Red Wings Shut Out by Avalanche in a Masterclass of Self-Imposed Penalty Kill Practice

[RedWings]

DETROIT – After a rollercoaster road trip that saw them win a few, lose a few, and re-acquire Zach Bogosian (twice!), the Detroit Red Wings returned to the familiar comforts of Joe Louis Arena. One might have hoped the home ice would bring a surge of energy, perhaps even some goals. Instead, they delivered a performance against the Colorado Avalanche that was less "welcome home" and more "welcome to the penalty box, again." The final score: a soul-crushing 4-0 shutout.

The first period offered a glimpse of the night's unfortunate trajectory. The Avalanche's Lars Eller found the back of the net, giving Colorado a lead they would, apparently, never relinquish. Meanwhile, the Red Wings seemed to be practicing their penalty kill strategy, because why score goals when you can perfect your shorthanded maneuvers? Brenden Dillon, clearly vying for the "most time spent in the sin bin" award, started his personal parade to the box with an unsportsmanlike conduct call.

The second period? Well, there was no scoring. There was, however, a significant amount of penalty-taking by the Red Wings. Robby Fabbri decided a major charging penalty was in order, ensuring extended practice for the penalty kill unit. Dillon, not to be outdone, added an elbowing call, and Vincent Trocheck contributed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for good measure. Just to cap off the chaos, Dillon decided he hadn't spent enough time in the box and threw in a boarding call at the end of the period. One has to wonder if the Red Wings' strategy was to simply run out the clock in the penalty box.

The third period saw the Avalanche decide they'd been polite long enough. Jake Guentzel, Matthew Boldy, and Kevin Hayes all found the back of the net, turning the game into a rather embarrassing rout. Meanwhile, the Red Wings continued their streak of zero goals, a feat that, against a team like the Avalanche, is less "defensive masterpiece" and more "offensive vacuum."

Alex Nedeljkovic, the Avalanche netminder, had a rather leisurely evening, stopping all 24 shots he faced for a shutout. He even earned the game's first star, presumably for showing up and stopping the occasional puck that didn't sail wide. Alexandar Georgiev, on the other hand, faced 27 shots and allowed four goals, leading one to believe his road warrior spirit had been left somewhere between Seattle and Detroit.

The power play conversions tell a familiar tale of woe: Red Wings 0 for 1, Avalanche 0 for 4. It seems both teams prefer the even-strength game, which, for Detroit, meant simply not scoring at all.

While the 19,800 fans who packed Joe Louis Arena certainly brought the energy, the Red Wings brought... penalties. Lots and lots of penalties. After a rollercoaster road trip, the team's homecoming was less a triumphant return and more a stark reminder that even in front of a sellout crowd, a lack of discipline and a severe allergic reaction to scoring goals can still lead to a rather dull defeat. The "Battle of the Box" certainly didn't go Detroit's way.