Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings are looking to move past their opening night defeat against the Pittsburgh Penguins, where they lost 6-3 at Little Caesars Arena. Coach Derek Lalonde emphasized the need for improvement, stating, "Our overall team play needs to improve. We have some work to do, and that starts with tomorrow."

The game began positively for the Red Wings as Alex DeBrincat scored their first goal of the season with assists from Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin. However, Pittsburgh equalized late in the first period when Anthony Beauvillier scored.

Coach Lalonde commented on the first period saying, "Really good start actually," but noted it was unfortunate to end tied.

Pittsburgh took control in the second period with goals from Beauvillier again and Drew O’Connor, extending their lead further through Marcus Pettersson's goal which led to a change in goaltender for Detroit. Cam Talbot replaced Ville Husso after he allowed four goals on 14 shots.

DeBrincat acknowledged defensive lapses during this period: "All those goals in the second were self-inflicted." Vladimir Tarasenko then narrowed the gap for Detroit with his first goal for the team.

Despite an overturned goal due to a hand pass and Jeff Petry leaving with an injury, Erik Karlsson extended Pittsburgh’s lead early in the third period. DeBrincat scored again during a power play before Kevin Hayes secured Pittsburgh's win with another goal.

Reflecting on individual performances, Lalonde praised DeBrincat: "Obviously DeBrincat had an excellent game tonight."

In total, Talbot allowed two goals on 14 shots while Joel Blomqvist made his NHL debut by saving 29 shots for Pittsburgh.

Looking ahead, Detroit will host Nashville Predators next as part of Hockeytown Opening Week celebrations featuring fan events like Hockeytown Red Carpet Walk.

Lalonde highlighted areas needing improvement defensively: “Definitely a work in progress with some of those box-outs, gaps and D-zone coverage.” Larkin admitted inconsistencies throughout: “Not a good second and third period, not a good start to our season.”

As they prepare for future games, players recognize both internal adjustments needed and challenges posed by opponents' strategies like limiting power plays as described by DeBrincat: “A lot of it was us... we weren’t strong on our sticks.”