Canucks score five unanswered beating Detroit

Bo Horvat #53 of the Vancouver Canucks celebrates his third period goal with teammates Elias Pettersson #40, Brock Boeser #6, Quinn Hughes #43 and J.T. Miller #9 during an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on October 22, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

A late vulnerability from the Red Wings let the Canucks run away with the victory at Little Caesars Arena Tuesday night. A hat trick from team leader Bo Horvat late in the game assisted in Vancouver deflating Detroit 5-2. A breakdown of control and too much open ice handed the Red Wings their fifth straight loss.

With the home advantage back in their hands, the Red Wings looked to end the four-game slide and teach Vancouver a lesson. They suffered a 5-1 beating in western Canada, taking another two losses against Calgary and Edmonton. While their recent defeat showed tremendous effort from Detroit, the time back home prepared them to even the series with the Canucks bringing the same fighting spirit seen on Friday. The Canucks go for their second straight after winning a tight one against the New York Rangers on Sunday. Showing vulnerabilities would give the Red Wings a shot at starting the homestand with a win.

Vancouver made the challenge difficult fast when they got on the power play two and a half minutes in. They failed to score on the man advantage, but after seven minutes elapsed, they outshot Detroit 8-1. The Red Wings started to fight back getting pucks to the net where goaltender Jacob Markstrom stood for the Canucks.

By the midway point, Detroit was in reach of Vancouver on shots to the net but continued to trail. A huge opportunity came to pass with Brock Boeser taking a double minor for high sticking Frans Nielsen. The four-minute power play for the Red Wings increased their scoring chances, but none found their way behind Markstrom. Before Vancouver saw the end of the penalty, they committed another to give Detroit a 5 on 3 for more than a minute.

It saw Anthony Mantha, who already had two shots recorded making his third a charm. Getting open in the Vancouver zone, the 25-year-old right-winger sniped a shot that flew through traffic and into the net for his seventh of the season. It was a big moment for them to carry the lead, but defending it to the horn would be better. That was just what Detroit did as they avoided a change of score on the late penalty to come through 20 minutes with the 1-0 lead. It marked the third time this season that the Red Wings led after one.

Trying to keep their lead for as long as possible, Detroit fought for puck possession, adding a few good attempts to increase the score. Dylan Larkin had a breakaway on a stretch pass, but his wrist shot was saved off the pads of Markstrom closing the net off to his left. Detroit continued the onslaught that soon led to a scuffle after eight minutes. In Evgeny Svechnikov’s move to slap the puck loose from Markstrom, he caused a one on one with Jake Virtanen that led them to match roughing penalties.

The teams went 4 on 4, but an interference call to Vancouver gave Detroit a man advantage. It resulted in a goal from Dennis Cholowski who rifled the puck that went along the stick of Alexander Edler to assist him in his first of the season. It was the second goal allowed by the best PK unit in the NHL.

The push from Detroit had them as the dangerous team to control and dictate play. With two minutes left, it was almost 3-0 on a shot from Mike Green at the blue line that pinged off the post. Larkin tried to get to the rebound, but Jordie Benn cleared it before he could wind up. Despite the missed opportunity, the Red Wings took a power play late in the second, where Markstrom made important saves. The Canucks felt the pressure but managed to get out of trouble with 40 minutes in the books. Detroit outshot Vancouver 17-11, showing a true force of offense and the chance to continue dictation going into the third.

The Canucks took advantage of the Red Wings who let them get second chances on shots to the net of Jimmy Howard. Horvat got his team on the board and soon after, had a two minute power play to try and notch the fourth straight goal on the man advantage. It was all tied up on a drive from Quinn Hughes that flew down the center before getting into the net. Horvat  earned credit as he got a piece of the puck on his stick for his second of the night.

The momentum changed so quickly leading the Canucks to silence Detroit and wait for their moment to take the lead. It came on a shot from Virtanen that deflected off the skate of Filip Hronek for his first and a 3-2 situation. Leaving too much opening space, the Canucks took advantage of scoring chance that gave Tim Schaller his first widening the gap to two goals.

It was their fourth unanswered of the period and with the Red Wings out of ideas, they chose to get desperate and pull Howard. It only made things worse for them and great for Horvat as he managed to score on the empty net to complete the hat trick that marked his first career hat trick.  

Oilers edge Red Wings 2-1

Alex Chiasson #39, James Neal #18 and Darnell Nurse #25 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrate after a goal during the game against the Detroit Red Wings on October 18, 2019, at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

A hard fight to get a victory came up short for the Red Wings at Rogers Place Friday night. Their efforts kept the Edmonton Oilers quiet on the scoresheet but tallied out a 2-1 victory with James Neal and Darnell Nurse putting in work. Goaltender Mikko Koskinen recorded the fourth win of his career with 23 saves and a .962 save percentage.

Two losses for the Red Wings with mirrored results had them eager to end the losing streak and finish their run on the road with a victory. Coming against the Oilers with a 6-1-0 record meant that the possibility of going 0-3 was high. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were on fire recording more than 15 points each becoming the first to reach the milestone since Wayne Gretzky. With so much firepower supporting the two, the Red Wings had to find ways to stop them or face an uphill battle.

Detroit managed to stay close with Edmonton, but a power play for the home team almost had them a goal. Neal who already had eight goals this season, watched his shot go off the post. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier and the Detroit special teams killed the penalty but trailed the Oilers who continued to bring pucks to the net. The Red Wings fought to clear the puck to stay on pace with Edmonton who had nine shots on goal with eight minutes left in the period.

Dylan Larkin knew that his leadership skills had to shine. On a two-man play, he got ahead of the puck to shoot at Koskinen playing between the pipes in his fourth NHL game. Despite not getting one behind the Finn, Detroit's push to increase puck possession was a positive development with five minutes to go.

Andreas Athanasiou got a jump on a loose puck with 90 seconds left. Despite his missed scoring chance, a slashing call to Russel gave them a 5 on 4 power play to end the period. While it didn’t help the Red Wings to change the score, they did show interest to be the first to strike going into the second stanza.

The remainder of Detroit’s power play didn’t give them an early lead but played evenly with the Oilers. Bernier made stops with strong support in front of him through eight and a half minutes. At 7:39, Edmonton scored on a drive from Nurse that bounced off the pad of Bernier. The rebound came to Neal who shot it right back, scoring his ninth and gave Edmonton the opening lead.

Preventing a second proved difficult as the Oilers moved freely on ice in Detroit’s end. A straight shot from Ethan Bear at the far end along with terrific screening by Zach Kassian made it 2-0. Detroit suffered another penalty opening the door for Edmonton to notch another one. Blocked shots and a huge effort to clear the puck out of danger killed the power play leaving Edmonton 0-2 on the man advantage.

Detroit earned an important reward with Mike Green’s shot from the slot. The puck redirected off former Red Wings player Riley Sheahan making it 2-1 with three minutes to play. Bertuzzi earned an assist giving him eight points this season. Green went for another shot to try and tie the game in the final minute but Koskinen made the block from the glove side. After 40 minutes, Edmonton outshot Detroit 15-6 but was denied an influx of goals to take a commanding lead.

Through 10 minutes of play in the third period, the Oilers outshot the Red Wings but couldn’t get anything by their opponent’s strong coverage. Detroit pressured them for two minutes taking all the steam out of their line. A TV timeout allowed them to switch out and defend their one-goal margin with seven minutes left in regulation. The Red Wings worked hard to get the tying goal in the final two minutes. With Bernier out of the net, Detroit went for six men bringing the heat to Koskinen. He stayed firm with good kick saves and focus from his support staff.

The Red Wings took a timeout for coach Jeff Blashill to come up with a play with 104 seconds to go. A faceoff in the Edmonton zone didn’t work out as the Oilers defense pushed them out and went for the empty net but missed twice on shots off the post. Despite not getting the definitive game-winner the Oilers managed to hold on in the final seconds to win their second straight.

Flames roast Detroit 5-1

The Calgary Flames celebrate after Andrew Mangiapane #88 scored a goal against the Detroit Red Wings at Scotiabank Saddledome on October 17, 2019 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images)

Calgary’s offensive strength was too much for the Red Wings at the Saddledome Thursday night. Exposing Detroit’s issues on both sides of the puck, the Flames ran off to take a 5-1 win handing Detroit their third consecutive loss. Team captain Mark Giordano was well in command scoring two points in the team’s biggest victory this season.

The Red Wings needed a win going into the second of a three-game road trip through Western Canada. Showing little effort as a team Tuesday against the Canucks, Detroit had to bring more pucks to the net by all their lines. The challenge for victory was high as the Flames did well at home going 2-0-1 in their last three. With young forwards on the squad, Calgary had the potential to run away with the lead and not look back.

The notion saw the Red Wings record the first two shots of the game but brought very little in terms of scoring chances. Calgary got into the mix taking three shots where one from Andrew Mangiapane was robbed by Jimmy Howard in net for Detroit. It was their third shot of the period that dug them in to commit the first goal.

Getting the puck around the boards in Detroit's zone, they caught the Red Wings sluggish. Sending the puck out to Giordano, the defenseman drove it to the net deflecting off the stick of Mangiapane. The puck bounced off the ice sending it over the shoulder of Howard and into the net for the 23-year old’s second of the season. The Flames kept the pucks coming as Shane Monahan nearly made it 2-0 only to see Howard make the save on their eighth shot.

A power play for the Red Wings late in the period opened the window to gain momentum. Instead of creating scoring chances, Detroit wasted it shooting once at Flames netminder David Rittich playing in net for the seventh time this season. The first came to a close with a third consecutive goalless streak for the Red Wings while being outshot 10-5.

Detroit knew that bringing some intensity would get them into action with the Flames and did so on a power play. Spending most of the penalty in the Calgary zone, they pressured Rittich several times but could not get the puck behind him. Despite not leveling up on the scoreboard, the energy was high for the Red Wings who kept creating scoring chances.

Halfway through the period, Detroit gave the Flames a second chance on the man advantage. With a great pass in front, Elias Lindholm made it 2-0 on a one-timer in the slot for his fifth. When it looked as if the wind was taken out of Detroit’s sails, they answered 28 seconds later with Darren Helm getting credit for a shot that Anthony Mantha thought was saved. Rittich was sure he had the puck locked between the pads. When Helm saw it slide toward the goal line, he put a stick on it to score his third and make it a one-goal margin.

With five minutes left, the shots on goals were 15-14 in favor of Detroit showing major improvement. Penalties continued to be a problem for Detroit and in the last two, they gave Calgary a shot to regain their two-goal lead. Terrific defense and great focus from Howard got the Red Wings out of the period with the score unchanged going into the third. They outshot Calgary 13-7 leaving hope that the momentum would roll into the decider.

Calgary got the edge coming into the third, bringing a high amount of energy that Detroit could not match. Milan Lucic went after Alex Beiga who had control of the puck at the boards, but lost it on impact by the big defenseman. Lucic connected with Sam Bennett whose shot scored the team’s third of the night and his first of the season. The gap widened in favor of the Flames as their scramble in front of Howard paid off with help from the opposition. Their attempt to clear the puck with Filip Hronek getting it away from the net but it ricocheted off Andreas Athanasiou’s skates and into the net. Derek Ryan earned credit for the goal notching his first and a 4-1 stand for Calgary.

The Red Wings found themselves down a forward as Helm and Lindholm got into it. The Michigan native responded after receiving an elbow to the head and slashed back. Lindholm's teammates did not take lightly to that, getting into a scuffle in front of Rittich. Helm was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

The teams played 4 on 4, but the lead for Calgary was in fine form even with a three-minute man advantage. With a minute and a half left in the penalty, they managed to score, getting plenty of pucks to the net. A final attempt from Giordano who scored on a centering shot from the far end, making it 5-1. With Detroit all but out, the Flames played the last five minutes trying to score another, but Howard was done letting any more in behind him.

In a period where they surged, shooting 20 at the Red Wings, Calgary finished the night with a huge win to end their homestand

Canucks PP surges in win over Detroit

J.T. Miller #9 of the Vancouver Canucks is congratulated by teammates after scoring during their NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Arena October 15, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images)

A let-up of defense and special teams gave the Vancouver Canucks an easy victory on Tuesday. A wakeup of their struggling power play saw three come from it to give them a 5-1 beating to the Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Arena. J.T. Miller had two on the night along with goaltender Thatcher Demko earning a premier win in his debut with the team.

Detroit’s loss to Toronto didn’t cause much tension with the squad as the headed into Western Canada for a road trip. Their second loss kept them on the up and up that more wins were on the horizon. Getting one against the Canucks would be a challenge as they have enjoyed their time on home ice. Their last two games saw them outscore opponents 11-4 with one more stint at home before their journey back east. With the show of strength, they would do everything to keep Detroit quiet while they attempted to bring life to their lines.

Thirty seconds into the game, Dylan Larkin scored with some help from Anthony Mantha showing Detroit’s first line already in gear. Mantha gave him a nifty pass before the Michigan native backhanded the puck behind Demko who made his season debut. In an attempt to regroup, the Canucks went heavy into the Detroit zone but didn’t produce threatening shots at Jonathan Bernier in net for the Red Wings made the necessary stops.

Vancouver had a power play after eight minutes of play but little impact was made as the Detroit PK did their job. When they returned to even strength the shots on goal were 9-2 in favor of the Canucks. The Red Wings picked up the slack and attacked the opposing net where a play near had them a bigger lead but Demko managed the save.

With four minutes left, Detroit went on a six-shot run with the Canucks trailing but got back on track. At the two-minute mark, the Canucks got the game even with Tory Stecher getting near the slot to wrist one for his first of the season. They finished the period outshooting Detroit 14-8 indicating their sudden control of power.

The Red Wings didn’t make things better for themselves as Mike Green took a penalty 53 seconds into the period. For just the second time in 16 power plays, the Canucks achieved the lead with Alexander Edler scoring on a well-timed shot that went through everyone in the slot and past Bernier for his third.

Elias Pettersson caught a rebound in front of the net where he tipped it in leaving Bernier helpless to stop it making it 3-1 after four minutes elapsed in the second stanza. Another power play opened the door for the Canucks to conduct another successful goal. With Edler’s drive from the far end, it was redirected and went off the stick of J.T. Miller for his second to open a three-goal gap on Detroit.

Andreas Athanasiou pushed himself to get his legs into play and change the tide for his team. He had three shots on Demko but no significant change in the scoreboard. Their first power play arrived with six to go with the special teams coming up short as Vancouver’s defense cut them off at the neutral zone. They finished 40 minutes in a very good spot with Detroit at a loss on how to recover.

The third was a full control for the Canucks even though the Red Wings had kept up on shots to the net. The difference-maker was the energy output that Vancouver clearly emitted on the ice. After killing off a 5 on 3 giving Detroit very little, they ruffled feathers at 4:38 when Mantha took a double for unsportsmanlike conduct and tripping of Sutter while he got called for roughing on Mantha. While it didn’t bring much to the table for either, the frustration of being behind didn’t help matters. A holding call to Jacob de la Rose set up the Canucks fifth power play where they scored on Miller’s drive from the slot earning his second of the night that put the nail in the coffin.

A scuffle between the two saw penalties go to both teams 20 seconds after goal involving Adam Erne and Stecher. After both cooled off from their time in the boxes, the Canucks continued on the path of holding their lead through the last six minutes of play when the horn sounded their victory.

Toronto puts holes in Red Wings to win 5-2

 Nicholas Shore #26 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his first period goal with teammates Jake Muzzin #8, Dmytro Timashov #41, Justin Holl #3 and Frederik Gauthier #33 during an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on October 12, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

Detroit let the Toronto Maple Leafs get out of hand at Little Caesars Arena Saturday night. Breakdowns on defense, penalties, and turnovers helped them take a 5-2 win from the Red Wings. Five different scorers contributed to ripping apart a three-game losing streak.

The Red Wings victory against Montreal put them in a great position to begin the season which didn’t see them at this point. With the Maple Leafs visiting Detroit and sitting with a three-game slide, their top line hoped to continue producing with support from the other three. Their recent home loss to the Lightning which they went down 7-3 leaves them with the notion that their best offensive pieces had to overcome the slump and take down their Original Six rival.

They had two early chances with Jimmy Howard refusing to stop the puck near the crease. A second occurrence left the puck loose where Toronto nearly found their chance to strike but the Red Wings iced it to regroup quickly. Justin Abdelkader got the best offensive play going running around with the puck behind the Toronto net where Frederik Andersen stood.

A pass out to the blue line where teammate Patrik Nameth shot the one-timer. Jacob de la Rose was at the net where he got a piece of it with his stick flat on the ice to get it into the net for his first of the season. Toronto picked up the pace of their lines and worked to break Howard and the Detroit defense. With plenty of moves to make their moment count, a play came where help from Dmytro Timashov gave Nick Shore the open net to Howard’s right to tie the game at one-all

Toronto gained the first power play that almost went sour for them with the Red Wings running away with the puck instead of clearing it. They had a shorthanded opportunity but Toronto managed to shut them down. It took time away from producing pucks to the Detroit net leading to its demise. Another came when Kasperi Kapanen took a stick to the face putting the Red Wings down a man with four minutes to go. Detroit’s PK took care of business with Howard making some kick saves to end the penalty. Man to man coverage helped them bring the period to a close despite being outshot 12-9.

In the first minute of the second stanza, Detroit caught a break to go on the man advantage but the Toronto PK did enough to stop them in their tracks. Through the next seven minutes, both teams had four shots on goal but no significant scoring chances. Things changed during the last half of the period as the Maple Leafs added pressure the Red Wings defense who were at times running out of steam to keep up.

The Toronto offense kept coming at Howard but his efforts paid off including a sharp save from Shore to prevent giving him another one. Andersen was in fine form at his net with the defense doing most of the work. During the last minute of play, a decision from Howard went south quickly as he decided to try and singlehandedly stop Ilya Mikeyev from scoring.

Timing out his attack incorrectly left the net wide open for the right-winger freshman to notch his second and give Toronto the lead after 40 minutes. The momentum that the Maple Leafs carried going into the decider had the Red Wings needing the positive output to avoid letting everything slip away.

In a mission to control the puck, they spent most of the time shooting at Andersen to try and level the game. Through seven minutes, they outshot Toronto 6-1 with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi contributing. The Maple Leafs answered with a surge of shots that leveled them with Detroit. At 9:11, Toronto made it 3-2 with Alexander Kerfoot getting the puck on Mikeyev shot to the net to gain his second. 24 seconds later, Darren Helm got into a three-man play with Justin Abdelkader and de la Rose into the Toronto zone. On reception of the puck, he got into the slot and shot the puck over the top of Andersen’s glove bringing Detroit back within reach.

Jake Muzzin made it 4-2 with six and a half to play getting a one-timer from Timashov for his first. With two minutes left in regulation, Howard was pulled off the ice for the extra man but it didn’t help. Trevor Moore managed to get ahead of the Red Wings and shoot from far back into the empty net for his third of the season deflating the opposition.

Ducks overtake Red Wings 3-1

Rickard Rakell #67 of the Anaheim Ducks pounds gloves with teammates on the ice following his third period goal during an NHL game against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on October 8, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

It was a fight of who could remain consistent and with a late rush in the game, the Anaheim Ducks were victorious at Little Caesars Arena Tuesday night. Strong defense and goaltender John Gibson making 31 saves gave them a 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Ducks marked a second season where they started 3-0 in their 26-year history.

It was a clash of undefeated teams with Detroit receiving good news on the day. Andreas Athanasiou was cleared to join the squad after suffering an offseason injury. In his absence, the Red Wings won both their games with the first line notching 16 points. Mantha was the lone heroin Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Stars setting up an important match with Anaheim.

The Ducks are having their best start since 2006-07 when they last went 3-0. Gibson has had a 1.00 goals-against average and a save percentage of .971. A victory for him and the team would mark a new franchise record. Howard looked to stop that in his second appearance hoping to keep his team as one of seven left undefeated in the NHL.

That notion took a point in the opening minutes with both teams moving well at a fast pace on the ice. Once both teams had two shots on goal, Detroit sought out the first score of the night. Throughout their quest, they faced a tight Anaheim defense that stopped them in their tracks through much of the period. Detroit’s best chance came on their seventh shot of the night where Athanasiou swung in front of Gibson only to be stopped with 4:30 left in the period. When the horn sounded, it left the teams scoreless with the Red Wings outshooting the Ducks 11-7

The Ducks were on a mission to make their mark in the second period and came out firing in the Detroit zone. Adding pressure on the Red Wings, Anaheim gained a man advantage spending a majority of the two minutes firing at Howard only to come up empty. When things returned to even strength, Dylan Larkin almost had a goal with a wrist shot that cause the post to Gibson’s right.

The shots were 13-12 for Detroit with five minutes elapsed and Detroit going a man down for the second time. The Red Wings did work to push the puck the length of the ice which took time away from the penalty and left Anaheim 0-2 with the extra man. At the midway point of the game, Detroit gained their first opportunity with the power play. Tyler Bertuzzi had Gibson to one end of the net leaving it exposed but the opportunity to get it there was never an option.

The Ducks covered their goaltender well cutting on Detroit’s scoring chances while they faced the same against their adversary. The Red Wings were intent on scoring no matter the cost with just a minute to go. A three-shot play that started with Filip Hronek firing hitting the goalpost turned into a second chance.

The 21-year-old defenseman took another that went off the crossbar but three would be the charm. On a delayed penalty for the Ducks, Howard came off the ice to give the Red Wings six men but it was Czech who finally found the back of the net with a wrister from the dot scoring his first of the season with five seconds to go. It left little for the Ducks to answer as they remained a man down when the period came to a close.

With the lead in hand and the third period left, the Ducks came out working hard to even the game. They earned a third power play with Mike Green in the box for hooking but stops from Howard that included a puck to the facemask and slipping out of the net didn’t produce the goal. It marked their third failed attempt but the pressure in the Detroit zone kept them close in the hunt. An opportunity arose on a centering drive from Hampus Lindholm that gave Rickard Rakell the tying goal at 4:52.

Detroit wasn’t letting the sudden tie get them down and kept the pace high. At 11:54, they had the lead change with Larkin scoring on a short wrister beating Gibson’s stick. Anaheim challenged the goal due to an offsides motion by Mantha. Video evidence showed that he was ahead of the puck at the blue line negating the change of score.

With a good call of challenging, the Ducks found their moment to take the lead on a drive from Derek Grant who got it through Hronek and Nick Ritchie who ended up with credit for the goal. 40 seconds later, Anaheim took a two-goal lead with Jakob Silfverberg scoring unassisted with a shot from the far end for his first.

Time was on the side of the Ducks as they continued to keep Detroit quiet outshooting them 13-5 with three minutes left. Detroit chose to take Howard out of the net for six men but opportunities weren’t coming as well as they did earlier in the game. Despite not getting any pucks into the empty net of the Red Wings, the Ducks maintained defensive support in their zone to kill time and take the victory.

Mantha, Red Wings take down Stars 4-3

Anthony Mantha #39 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his hat-trick goal in the third period with teammates Tyler Bertuzzi #59, Patrik Nemeth #22 and Dylan Larkin #71 during an NHL, home opening night game against the Dallas Stars at Little Caesars Arena on October 6, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

Anthony Mantha single-handedly got his team the victory at Little Caesars Arena Sunday night. The right-winger recorded a natural hat trick and added another for good measure that gave the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3 win over the Dallas Stars in their home opener. It was the first time a player scored four goals on opening night since John Sorrell on Nov. 12, 1933

Saturday’s big win on the road against Nashville showed that a late rush can energize the team to function on both sides of the puck. While they returned for the home opener with a lack of sleep, the excitement to have their fans in support stood out essential against the Stars. Dallas’ recent defeats against the 2019 Stanley Cup finalists left them hungry to get a win in their third outing.

Through the first ten minutes, both teams were slow to produce good opportunities on opposing nets. Dallas awarded Detroit a 5 on 4 opportunity but their chance went silent unable to record a shot on goal. With nine minutes left in the period, the first strike came at the hands of Dallas who saw Roope Hintz wrist the puck in front of the blue line for his second of the season. Detroit picked up the pace on shots to goaltender Nikolai Khudobin but the Stars were back at in front of Jonathan Bernier looking to increase their lead.

Tyler Seguin made it happen at 16:48 threading through the Detroit defense before shooting above the glove of Bernier hitting the top shelf for his first. The damage had been done leaving Detroit with a late power play in the final seconds but the man advantage didn’t help them change the tide in the first period.

In the continuance of it going into the second period, the Red Wings made their offensive strength known in the Dallas zone. Possession and control were the keys to giving them a goal as the multi-pass play ended with Mantha scoring his second of the season. Dallas went on the power play at 2:15 but gained nothing against a strong Detroit penalty kill that soon had them back on the man advantage.

While it didn’t help with evening the score, the Red Wings found second gear and took their chances at the Dallas net. Near the midway point of the game, Mantha again found his moment curving toward Khudobin getting the netminder out of the way for the tie. It became his 12^th career multi-goal game and one short of a hat trick. A chance to take the lead came on a fourth power play but the Dallas PK knew that they couldn’t let any more pucks get through.

As the penalty expired they suffered yet another one that put the Red Wings back on the man advantage with seven minutes to go. It didn’t bring the result they wanted but with puck possession stronger on their end, the Red Wings were running on the right path. The spent the remaining minutes blasting ten shots at Khudobin getting very close at times but was saved by the period coming to a close.

When the third got underway, Mantha secured the natural hat trick just 15 seconds into the action. A shot from Dylan Larkin to the net got to stick of the 25-year-old who found the open net to give Detroit the 3-2 lead. It appeared that he was not the only one inspired to do work for his team as Dallas evened back up at three-all. Hintz scored his second of the night on a loose puck 33 seconds later getting it behind Bernier who left the net exposed.

With the score locked, both teams played evening against one another until another break for Detroit arrived 6:36 on a tripping call to Joe Pavelski. They soon had a short 5 on 3 that saw Mantha nearly record his fourth. His scoring chance with open ice came on a wrister that was robbed on a beautiful glove save. Just when Khudobin had some relief coming his way, another Dallas penalty for goaltender interference kept things status quo for a little longer. Dallas got through with the entirety of Detroit’s man-advantage returning to full strength with eight minutes left in regulation.

With two minutes to go, the fight was on to make the score the game-winning goal between the team. Detroit had full coverage of time with the puck and with under a minute to go, Mantha made his mark even deeper. A great drive from the slot gave the forward his fourth of the night. “It’s a faceoff play we practiced,” Mantha said to Mickey Redmond of Fox Sports Detroit. “Bert came to help with my defense and I opened up for a one-timer and it bounced off a defenseman’s stick.” Sitting just a goal back, the Stars chose to take Khudobin out for the extra man.

Dallas went all in taking every conceivable shot with Alexander Radulov nearly sending the game to overtime but was stopped by Bernier who did tremendous work to stop it under the left pad. With 2.7 seconds left, the Red Wings won the last faceoff and got the horn to gain a second straight win.

With a historic moment for Mantha, he became the first player since Johan Franzen in Ottawa where he scored four back on Feb. 2, 2011. With the most positive start since their last playoff run, the Red Wings would try to keep up the momentum as they host the Ducks on Tuesday.

Svitolina reaches first US Open semifinal with win over Konta

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Elina Svitolina celebrates during her quarterfinal match against Johanna Konta at the US Open 

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​The match came down to smallest mistakes and for Elina Svitolina, her poise got her into the semifinals of the US Open Tuesday. The world number five drew errors and won free points against Johanna Konta who had too much trouble to end the quarterfinal in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. The Ukrainian marked her second consecutive major semifinal increasing her career success.
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The series between the two sat heavily with the Ukrainian but Sunday showed that history could be changed. The tenacity and strength Konta found to upset world number three Karolina Pliskova led her to prove that it had the potential to happen again. This was their first meeting in a grand slam and all four of them have come on hard courts. With Svitolina seeking out her second consecutive major semifinal and the Brit looking for her third, the pace had the possibility of swinging in every direction with so much on the line.
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Strong service games started the opening set with Konta leading the way against Svitolina. Each got the other deep into rallies, but no breaks were apparent for either as they held through four games. In the fifth, Svitolina had the first breakpoint but a long ball past the baseline saved Konta’s serve. The Brit battled through two breaks but enabled a second chance for the fifth seed who clinched it to take the lead.
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Upping the ante to consolidate a break was challenged by the Brit who overcame a three-point streak and broke back keeping them level. A key mistake on a drop shot in the seventh gave the Ukrainian another break chance. She tried to do it again during the rally to save breakpoint but Svitolina got into position for the ball fast, ending it for the double.
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To not give away another break, the fifth seed held firm on serve but dealt with some late changes to Konta’s return tactics. Handling the situation, Svitolina pressured unforced errors from Konta to open the gap on the scoreboard and play for the set. Konta made sure not to let it end on her service and sealed the deal to get back into reach of extending the set. Svitolina had no intention of letting her serve to go waste and with drawn errors from Konta, the fifth seed got the job done gaining a leg up after 49 minutes.
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The second went the same as the first with Svitolina staying with Konta until her chance for the break came in the fifth with the Brit trailing in the game. She forced deuce but the first AD point was the last as the fifth seed locked it down for the 3-2 lead. Konta fought to avoid going down two games battling Svitolina to deuce and saved key points. Three was the charm for Konta who delivered a great baseline lob getting over the net and no chance for the fifth seed to return.
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Knowing she missed an opportunity to hold a service game, Svitolina captured the double break on Konta who erred on chances suffering the break to love. Consolidation for the world number five gave her a 5-3 stance hoping to smash the Brit on serve in the ninth. Errors continued to rack up for Konta who fell behind but gained one back on a longball return from the Ukrainian. A second error leveled the score for the Brit but a bad hit off the racket giving Svitolina match point.

History made! 👏@ElinaSvitolina defeats Johanna Konta 6-4, 6-4 to become the first Ukrainian woman to reach the SFs in Flushing Meadows.#USOpen | #WomenWorthWatching pic.twitter.com/kfV6sAQDZC

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2019

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She erred to save Konta for the second time in the match and after a few breaks of deuce, the Briton saved a second match point that kept her alive. Svitolina again found her chance to serve for the match and with great response during a wide crosscourt rally and aggressive response, the 24-year-old won her way into the semifinal watching a long crosscourt return land wide right near her ending the match in 1 hour and 40 minutes.
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"It was a very tough match," Svitolina said to ESPN's Pam Shriver. "I think we were both striking the ball and it was quite even and in the end, I had to close on my serve which was very tricky and just very happy with how I handle the pressure today." I was trying to take one point at a time and for me I was trying to stay calm and tried to think that I'm still up and have a chance to close the match again."
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With one step between the 24-year-old before the final, she’ll wait to see if she faces Serena Williams or Qiang Wang on Thursday.