The day before the Detroit Red Wings lost 6-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, head coach Derek Lalonde reflected on the situation in net. His team's hopes of having three talented players gave him a lot to think about – in his opinion, it was a “positive problem”. The Red Wings were going to play a strong hand with three to choose from. They chose Villa Husso due to his good pre-season play.
But what happens when the hot hand cools down?
Ville Husso looked like the starter envisioned for Detroit a year ago – before injuries sidelined him from all but one game in December. After a difficult summer spent recovering from injuries and returning to form, the pre-season chart showed that Husso is the hottest hand in the group and has the best chance of getting off to a good start.
Mandatory Source: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
Instead, Husso's evening lasted just 21 minutes as he allowed four goals on 14 shots before being pulled. Having recovered from such a long recovery period, Husso's performance is not what he or anyone else wanted to achieve next.
“Obviously (Husso) didn't look as good as he did before the season,” Lalonde assessed after the game, noting how little game action Husso has seen this calendar year. “Even, you could just say, some of the rebound control, some of the things that held him down or that he controlled in the preseason, (he) didn't do that today.”
What happens when the second hand turns out to be just as cold?
Cam Talbot, a goalkeeper signed as the most proven starter of the three goalkeepers on the roster, came on to relieve Husso, but his performance did little to allay concerns. In 27 minutes and with the same number of shots, Talbot allowed two goals – three if you count the Penguins goal overturned by a handball challenge. Even with the stipulation that there would be no warm-up before the unscheduled performance, Talbot still didn't answer the phone.
So if Detroit continues to look for a hot hand, where will Lalonde go next?
“Obviously, Villa didn't look very comfortable today, which is understandable given the amount of hockey he played,” Lalonde said. “But it hasn't really changed since the exhibition, pre-season – all three guys we have some confidence in.”
Talbot came on as a reliever so he can be given some breathing room for his poor performance. The only unused resource remains Alex Lyon, a third-row goalkeeper who played in the starting lineup last season. But Detroit also needs to consider how quickly Husso deserves a second chance to prove his abilities.
We also need to assess the role of defense in all this. The Penguins burst into action with little to no resistance from the Red Wings. Even though Detroit had physical defenders in Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson, and especially Moritz Seider, they and their teammates proved ineffective in defending the penalty area. With that, Anthony Beauvillier scored the first and second goals for Pittsburgh, with Drew O'Connor scoring the third goal. In doing so, Kevin Hayes put an exclamation point on the Penguins' 6-3 victory, ending the game.
When asked about protecting the front of the net, Lalonde noted that Detroit couldn't maintain control of the details – outs and ins among them – although poor rebound control by the goaltenders also put the defense in a difficult position.
While Husso and Talbot took most of the blame for Pittsburgh's six goals, the defense was also held scoreless.
“You don't want to see that at all,” captain Dylan Larkin said after the game. “Just a bad second period for all of us and he gets dragged out. It's not fair to him. When a goalkeeper is pulled, it's usually not just about him, but the entire squad has to take full responsibility as well.
Perhaps Husso will find his balance again. To be clear, it's hard to fit so much into one weak performance. But with three options available online, there's no guarantee when Husso will hear his name called again. After showing that he is cold, Husso must prove that he has a good hand to get another chance. But to do that, he will need starts. It's a catch-22 situation.
Mandatory Source: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
“Husso bounced back after everything he went through,” Larkin said. We know what kind of player he can be for us and I know he will bounce back from today's match.
In their first action of the season, both Husso and Talbot showed they needed improvement. And the way Detroit's rotation is dictated by the metaphorical heat will hamper their chance to warm up. The idea of having three goalkeepers in the squad is that one of those three will prove that he can be a starter. The hope is that someone will take over the starting job. Neither performance on Thursday night made any progress on that front.
The question arises again what will happen next. Ahead of Saturday's visit from Nashville, Lalonde made it clear that Detroit would discuss whether Talbot or Lyon would start.
Meanwhile, the games are getting tougher from now on – over the next two weeks, the Red Wings will face two home and away games against the New York Rangers and Predators. A team aspiring to be a playoff contender also cannot give up difficult matches.
Thursday's home opener showed that a “positive problem” is just that, a total problem, as Detroit responded negatively. If the Red Wings want to get off to a strong start, they need to find one before cold hands turn October into a cold start.
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