The Detroit Red Wings player could not afford to lose skate on one leg, aided by two teammates.
Robby Fabbri had a natural hat trick against the Dallas Stars on Thursday, but play was marred by Jonathan Bernier’s departure late in the second period after a collision in his crease. That robbed the wings of the goalkeeper who has consistently supported them in this challenging season.
They overcame a late challenge 3-2. It is only the second time this season that the Wings have won two games in a row. The win gave them a 3-1-1 record in their last five games and a 10-17-4 mark overall.
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Bernier was reaching for a loose puck when Patrik Nemeth crashed into him. It’s the second time this season that Bernier has left a game after being hit by a teammate. He left January 28th, also against the stars, after Mantha crashed the net. Bernier preferred his right leg when Dylan Larkin and Vladislav Namestnikov helped him off the ice. An update on Bernier wasn’t immediately available, but it didn’t look good. The last time Bernier was injured, the wings went 1-5-1 without him.
Two goals from Fabbri provided a good lead when Thomas Greiss took over. Greiss tried to ensure consistency. He had a saving of 0.883 percent and 3.41 goals – against the average that came into play. Fabbri found the net again in the middle of the third period to earn his second hat trick. Roope Hintz scored 25 seconds later and Jason Dickinson scored after the Stars pulled their goalkeeper 1:20 for an additional attacker. The final shots favored the stars at 40-21.
Bobby Ryan (upper body) has missed a second game in a row but the hope is that he will be available for Saturday’s rematch.
One in four
Bernier had his hands – and legs and his torso – early and saved after the other. The Wings had no problem reaching the Dallas Zone, but they struggled to find lanes to puck Jake Oettinger. The shooting advantage was 10-2, Stars, when the penalties against Vladislav Namestnikov (embellishment) and Ty Dellandrea (interference) were leveled after 13 minutes. A minute later Fabbri had his seventh goal of the season. The wings were outbid by 14: 4 in the first period.
Five to four
In the first phase, Anthony Mantha stepped into the Dallas zone and pushed the puck towards Fabbri. That was Mantha’s fifth point in four games (two goals, three assists). This is the type of hockey the wings need to see from Mantha, where he moves his feet and uses his size to push opponents back. Mantha has done much better in the last couple of games after a sluggish first half and has been noticeably more active with the puck in the last couple of games. Mantha recorded his first multi-point performance only in his 26th game of the season.
One of two
Fabbri doubled at 6:36 the second period. Fabbri took a pass from Marc Staal and shot a shot from the top of the right circle. He sent Oettinger a wobbly puck glove on the second shot of the wings in the net at that time. It was Fabbri’s first multi-goal game of the season. He scored twice last season, including on November 8 when he made his Wings debut after a deal with St. Louis.
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more about the Detroit Red Wings and subscribe to our Red Wings newsletter. Her book The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Triumph Books. Personalized copies are available via email.
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