Nyquist, Bertuzzi & Franzen Power Wings Past Pens

The Detroit Red Wings ended the Pittsburgh Penguins perfect preseason Sunday night, with a 3-2 victory at Joe Louis Arena. Gustav Nyquist lead the way with two goals and an assist. Paired with the sizable duo of Todd Bertuzzi and Johan Franzen, the line was unstoppable, accounting for all three goals tonight.

Nyquist opened the scoring on a rebound just one minute in, with assists from Bertuzzi and Franzen. Paul Martin quickly answered to tie the game with a one-timer just over five minutes in. Franzen got his own rebound and finished a pretty play to give Detroit the 2-1 lead halfway through the first period.

Nyquist scored his second of the night on the PP in the second, and that score would hold until late in the 3rd period. With 50 seconds left, Tyler Kennedy put the Pens within one after a flurry in front of Jimmy Howard. It was originally waved off, but after review was determined to be a goal. Despite a flurry of shots in the final minutes, the Red Wings held on for the 3-2 victory.

With the injury to Jan Mursak, you have to wonder if Nyquist can squeak his way into the fourteenth and final forward position with the Red Wings. His competition did not do much this game. Cory Emmerton took a penalty when the game was tied, Fabian Brunnstrom had 0 shots in over 15 minutes of ice time, and Tomas Tatar was -1. Patrick Eaves also left the game after a blocked shot on a penalty kill. His status is unknown, but could open up another forward position.

Howard was solid, with a few big saves in the 3rd period, when the Penguins outshot Detroit 12-4. Nick Lidstrom was steady as usual, with a +2 rating and over 23 minutes of ice time. Valtteri Fiilppula delivered a big hit and was dangerous for the majority of his 26 shifts. Jiri Hudler drew jeers from the crowd after a couple of turnovers in the 3rd period.

A fun moment occurred during the 2nd intermission. One end of the arena focused their attention to a Super Suite that had left their blinds open. A large television was showing the final inning of the Tigers – Yankees game, which the Tigers held on to win 5-3. The crowd reacted loudly as the final inning unfolded; once mistakenly thinking a replay from the night prior was instead a Yankee’s game tying home run. After minutes of confusion, the final Yankee out was recorded, drawing the loudest cheers from Joe Louis all night. The owner of the suite quickly realized what was happening, and closed the blinds for the remainder of the hockey game.

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