DETROIT — Sometimes, you lose.

Patrick Kane did what Patrick Kane does and whistled a wrist shot past Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic for the first Detroit power-play goal (and second goal overall). Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic said he picked the wrong side of net-front traffic, and J.T. Compher poked a rebound past Nedeljkovic for the second Detroit power-play goal (and third goal overall), which was the game-winner late in the third period.

It was one of those hockey games in which both teams could claim they deserved to win. Except for the opening minutes, the Penguins were as good if not better than Detroit but were plagued by a bit of bad luck and one exceptional save by Detroit defenseman Mortiz Seider.

Later in the second period, Detroit goalie Alex Lyon slid away from the net, leaving a yawning cage for Anthony Beauvillier, whose turning wrist shot from about 10 feet should have been the tying goal. However, Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider slid into the crease, his leg extended for a textbook pad save.

It was that type of game for the Penguins. They were so close, so many times, including Bryan Rust, who swooped past his hometown defensemen and Lyon for easy wraparound stuff-ins. However, each one hit the post or legs in front and avoided bouncing across the line.

The other big positive for the Penguins was Drew O’Connor, who was his very best version. O’Connor fought for every puck and scored two goals–his first tallies since Oct. 18.

He wasn’t in a smiling mood after the game, but he admitted the pressure was finally off and that he could build on the game.

“You try to ignore it. Hockey is such a game of confidence. You know, hopefully, I can build off of this,” O’Connor told PHN.

There’s no reason to belabor the loss on a holiday night. The Penguins locker room was sour, but not in the depressed way that dominated their October and November losses. No, the Penguins were an angry sort of sour.

Penguins Xs and Os

“Barring the first ten minutes, I thought we played really hard. I thought it was a really good game–It was one of the faster-paced games that we played in the last little while,” Sullivan said.

“I thought we competed hard. Our intentions were in the right place. You know, give Detroit credit. They defended hard tonight, and they played a good game, too. I mean, the difference in the game is a power-play goal, but we also had some opportunities.”

We’ll debate whether a speedy game against Detroit is in the Penguins’ best interest. Note the low shot total for both teams—each had 25. The Penguins got back into the defensive zone and stayed between the puck and the net.

For my taste, the Penguins enjoyed the fast game too much. Their forecheck got a bit sloppy, and the team wasn’t as structured, which allowed Detroit too many zone entries with speed.

Sullivan didn’t seem to have a problem with it, but I would have expected more neutral zone traffic—make the young Red Wings work for the neutral zone and see what mistakes happen.

Also, Detroit got a cherry-picking goal–the worst cherry-pick I’ve seen in a long time. Jonatan Berggren hid in the neutral zone in front of the bench, then took off when Detroit was able to get possession. No one saw him lurking in the neutral zone after the line change.

Looking over the Red Wings goal, that’s some hard-core cherry picking.
Anthony Beauvillier is driving to the net but Berggren didn’t budge from hiding at the bench.
When Holl cut off Beauvillier, the breakaway was on. pic.twitter.com/OCMCPV6tAz

— Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) January 1, 2025

Detroit should have made the coaching move over the summer when general manager Steve Yzerman officially put Derek Lalonde on the hot seat. In my opinion, they’d be in a playoff spot if they had.

Penguins Report Card

Team: B

They didn’t play poorly, they didn’t have a ton of sloppy mistakes, and they got after it. It wasn’t their night. Any of a dozen pucks could have gone in for them in those net-front scrums.

RUST

Drew O’Connor: A+

Atta boy.

O’Connor admitted to PHN that it’s been a little tough to keep his head up, but hockey is a game of confidence. He tried to ignore the slump as best he could. It was clear in the last few games that he added a bit of angry aggression to his game—when he does that, he’s a pretty darned good player, but it’s not his natural state.

Penguins Defense: C+

They’re a makeshift unit, and it would be unfair to criticize them harshly. P.O Joseph is playing on his offside (where he doesn’t have much experience) with Marcus Pettersson on the left. Pettersson wasn’t at his best Tuesday after a few weeks off due to a lower-body injury. Erik Karlsson had some shaky moments with the puck–enjoying that high-paced game. Ryan Graves also had a couple of adventures of his own making.

Alex Nedeljkovic: B+

He made plenty of timely saves. Here’s an interesting note on Patrick Kane’s power-play goal (Detroit’s second). Nedeljkovic said the puck flipped onto its side just before Kane shot it–Nedeljkovic couldn’t read the puck, and it knuckled in a different direction past him.

A flat puck vs. a knuckle puck that went against the Penguins. The smallest things can make the biggest difference.