The Detroit Red Wings advanced to 22-6-4 with a 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings (13-14-6). After allowing LA to get a goal just 1:46 into the game, Detroit responded with two straight goals of their own.
Pavel Datsyuk tallied his third goal in two games 8:40 into the first. Just 3:42 later, defenseman Andreas Lilja took a hard slapshot from the point and scored his first goal of the season and first in 81 games. Datsyuk had won the faceoff and sent the puck back to Lilja for the assist. A goal by LA’s Frolov rounded out the first period with the score even at two goals apiece.
With only 1:20 remaining in the second, Mikael Samuelsson pounced on a rebound off of captain Nicklas Lidstrom’s shot to score his sixth goal of the season and first in 11 games. But the lead was to be shortlived as former Wing Kyle Calder put in a rebound of his own only 16 seconds after Samuelsson’s goal.
LA’s last goal of the evening came 2:25 into the final frame of action from the bottom of the right circle after Dustin Brown and Jarret Stoll had a 2-on-1 breakaway. It took almost 14 more minutes, but the Wings eventually got back on the board thanks to a goal by foward Jiri Hudler.
Hudler would contribute to another Detroit goal just 2:09 later when he (1) assisted on Dan Cleary‘s game-winning goal and (2) screened LA goaltender Jonathan Quick’s vision for Cleary’s shot. The goalie made an impressive 35 saves in just his fifth NHL game , but couldn’t stop Cleary’s shot from along the left boards. Center Kris Draper cemented the Detroit victory with an empty netter at 19:36.
Turnovers in the first, especially, were a big story in tonight’s game. Not only did they help give LA the first four shots and goal in the game, but it made it hard for the team to build any positive momentum. While I’m certainly happy to see the Wings consistently find ways to grind it out and get the win, I’d like to see the team bring their A-game for the entire game against a team that’s not named the San Jose Sharks.
Christy’s Red Wing of the Game: Nicklas Lidstrom
Okay, my reasoning is really more that he tallied three assists tonight, which means he now is in eighth place for points by a defenseman in the NHL (959) and eighth on the NHL list among all defensemen for assists (744). Congrats to our captain!
Detroit plays next on Tuesday when the St. Louis Blues come to town.
