Red Wings win 3-1 against Stars

Photo by: Dave Reginek/Getty Images

The Red Wings saw plenty of offense come together in the shape of victory Tuesday night. Detroit as a whole had scoring from veterans and rookies that ended in a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars at Joe Louis Arena. It was the first regulation win for Detroit at home since Nov. 10 and an important night honoring Red Wings legend Ted Lindsay.

The 2-1 OT loss to Montreal was a sour note for Detroit to swallow. With two consecutive injuries to Tyler Bertuzzi and Brendan Smith in the same game, the Red Wings had to recall Tomas Jurco who made his season debut on home ice. Jurco had been out with a long-term injury that kept him from being the usual part of Detroit’s lineup. Veteran Niklas Kronwall took over for Smith in hopes that his physical strength could tame the Stars. Dallas gives Detroit a hopeful chance at victory as they struggle in overtime situations while the Red Wings are on a streak of capturing points.

Things didn’t start well for Detroit as they were quickly down 1-0 just 16 seconds into the game. A lucky break for Esa Lindell came on a shot that went off the skate of Detroit’s Mike Green. The puck ricocheted high hitting the top shelf for Lindell’s second of the season. It further led the Stars to take four shots on the net while the Red Wings had yet to record one. They eventually got on the board but then allowed Dallas to a power play midway through the period.

Detroit’s PK worked perfectly allowing the Stars just one shot on goal with Petr Mrazek staying alert between the pipes. He managed to stop another one of their long moments with the puck with Detroit needing to respond before the first came to a close. They got on the power play for the first time in the game needing to make something of it.

They did so with less a minute on the clock with Dylan Larkin taking a shot at it. His drive was redirected off the skates of Jordie Benn ending Detroit’s 15 missed chances with a man up. Larkin picked up his seventh which was not only a big play, but the one that kept them on an even keel after 20 minutes.

The second saw both Dallas and Detroit running neck and neck on shots to the net. The score being tied had both of them pushing to get the lead back. The Stars once again put the Red Wings on a power play that had newfound life of recent. A big play arrived for them with Anthony Mantha and Red Wings captain Henrik Zetterberg in a connection. The passing play between the two players resulted in a goal for the 22-year-old right winger who delivered a wrister behind goaltender Kari Lehtonen for his third on the year and Zetterberg’s 12^th assist.

Aside from the score, the Stars remained even with the Red Wings moving the puck well when they gained possession. The Red Wings scrambled at time to take the puck away from Dallas but watched them push forward. By the time the final minute of play, the Stars took the lead on shots to the net leading 10-9 in the period.

One goal was the margin of victory for Detroit going into the third and overtime glooming its head upon the teams. The notion sat heavily upon the stars more than their opponents leading to their dominance of possession and shots at Mrazek. They gained a power play in the late stages of the third where Dallas had increased their shots by more than 10 in the Detroit zone. The Stars added more to their surge on the offense as Patrick Sharp and Mrazek got into it near the net earning the Detroit net minder the penalty.

Both played 4 on 4 with three minutes left giving the indication that the Stars were pulling out all the stops to force overtime. Stars coach Lindy Ruff pulled Lehtonen from the net but in the end, it was Detroit’s night to finish on top. A big win of possession allowed Steve Ott to shoot at the empty net to make it a solid 3-1 finish at home. It was Ott’s second of the season and one that he will mark down as a way to end a successful night.

Mrazek earned the victory by playing a full 60 minutes with plenty of action in front of him. The Red Wings net minder stopped 34 of the Stars shots for a .971 save percentage and the sixth win for him this season. Detroit would no doubt take the win under their belts serious as they prepare for a third home stand facing the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.