Phillip Danault scores OT for Kings over Red Wings 5-4

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The Los Angeles Kings had the last laugh in a tight race to victory at Little Caesars Arena Monday evening. Phillip Danault scored on a bouncer in overtime that beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-4. Captain Dylan Larkin was responsible for getting his team a point on the night, saving the game by throwing himself in the way of a game-winner in regulation. Jonathan Quick made 29 saves for Los Angeles, putting them at 2-2 for the season.

The Red Wings performed beautifully to start the 2022-23 season, winning their home opener before going on the road to defeat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 on Saturday. In their short return home to host the Kings, Detroit hadn’t gone 2-0 since 2019 and was ready to go 3-0 against a struggling group from L.A. The Kings suffered a bad opening week, losing at home to the Golden Knights and the Kraken. Edging Minnesota 7-6 was fortunate but a sign of troubles on the road. Though Detroit hadn’t faced anyone tough recently, the Kings would be another stepping stone to figuring out where their strengths lie.

The Red Wings were the first to get on the board 4:26 into regulation, with Adam Erne going in on Quick’s stick side, top shelving the puck. Gabe Vilardi leveled the score 19 seconds later, watching his shot deflect off Mortiz Seider, flying to the right of Ville Husso and into the net. Through ten minutes, the Kings had a 5-4 lead on shots to the net, and a minute later, got on the power play on a Lucas Raymond penalty. Erne almost had a second goal, going shorthanded, but Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick blocked his path.

Detroit returned to full strength, keeping the play inside the offensive zone. Los Angeles found a way to turn things around and march into action, pressing the Detroit defense. It was at 14:40 when Adrian Kempe slid to the faceoff dot and wristed a shot with ease, scoring his fourth of the season. The Kings kept the skates fast, getting the best of them, and nearly made it 3-1 on a slippery puck that Husso managed to stop.

Despite the surge, Detroit stayed with their opponent on shots to the net, getting a man advantage in the final seconds of the period. Both teams had 11 shots, but the Kings did well on the faceoffs, but seven blocked shots and nine hits from the Red Wings kept them close at hand. With 1:50 left on the power play, the Red Wings opened the second stanza with just one scoring chance. The Kings' PK executed well, nearly seeing them go shorthanded but Brendan Lemieux tripped coming out of the penalty box.

At 4:54 a play occurred with LA’s Sean Durzi and Detroit’s Elmer Soderblom going after the puck. Durzi hooked the six-foot-eight-inch forward before having the 268-pound left winger smash into the boards on top of him. Nothing came of Detroit’s second chance with the man advantage, but midway into the game, a way to tie the game came to fruition. Most of the Red Wings were on one side of the ice and with a chance to score, David Perron fired a one-timer to the open part of the net, notching his second.

The Kings got their second power play, getting the puck close to the net but failed to get to the loose puck in front of Husso. The Red Wings prevented any further action, but right when they got to even strength, Trevor Moore passed the puck across to Danault, making it 3-2. Things got worse for Detroit, who suffered another tripping penalty at the hands of Raymond.

Los Angeles had the remainder of the period to try and increase the score, but a penalty to Kevin Fiala made it 4 on 4 to finish things off. Both teams had 23 shots on goal, but the lead for the Kings made it a mission for Detroit to handle things right with 20 minutes left to play. The Kings did well on the PK for the third time in the game, going on the move with the puck at even strength. 

Los Angeles had a lot of time with the puck, adding pressure on the Red Wings near their net, hunting for a two-goal margin. The Kings went on their four power play, but a shorthanded attempt from Dylan Larkin almost turned into a penalty shot, only to turn into a short 4 on 4. Detroit then went on their fourth try with the extra man and with 44 seconds left, David Perron shot the puck in front of Kings defenseman Matt Roy, scoring his second of the night to tie the game.

In a shocking turn of events, the Kings took a shot believing Husso had control of the puck. Behind his skates, the puck sat still, when everyone suddenly saw it loose. Kings captain Anze Kopitar got a stick in between two Red Wings players to make it 4-3 at 13:16. Time flew off the clock, and the Red Wings skated all over to find different ways at tying the game again. Head coach Derek Lalonde pulled Husso from the net for the extra man.

It was nearly over when Viktor Arvidsson almost got away with a chance for the empty net. It was Larkin, who managed to save the day, throwing himself in the way and putting a stick in his way to cut off the net. In the final minute of play, the Red Wings scored one in traffic at the crease by Oskar Sundqvist. They defended through the final seconds to force overtime and look for a chance at keeping the game alive.

Both teams played 3 on 3, and the Red Wings went straight to Quick, who made the stop. Los Angeles got their chance and had one man ahead of Detroit. Danault eyed Trevor Moore across from him but took the shot which crossed as Husso slid to the right, opening the door for the puck to go in to end the game 71 seconds into overtime. It was a tough one for Husso to accept, taking the loss after making 31 saves on the night. The Red Wings took three days off before moving into Chicago to face the Blackhawks Friday night.

 

Red Wings pull together 3-0 shut against Canadiens on opening night

Elmer Soderblom watched his shot go into the net, marking his first NHL goal in his debut with the Detroit Red Wings. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

What was a very close game most of the night exploded into a major victory for the Detroit Red Wings Friday night. A late goal in the third period with Elmer Soderblom in his NHL debut led Detroit to a 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena. Back-to-back empty net goals capped the night for Hockeytown, who waited for life to come back in full for their squad. Goaltender Ville Husso in his first career game recorded a shutout stopping 29 shots on the night.

The Red Wings took their opportunity to impress on opening night in a matchup against an Original Six rival. With some time to test out new faces on the squad, Detroit hopes to increase the PK, minimize goals against, and most importantly, return to the postseason in 2023. Under the new leadership of head coach Darek Lalonde, who GM Steve Yzerman has great faith in after his time in Tampa Bay, can bring together a positive season.

The Canadiens already have a victory under their belt, defeating the Maple Leafs in a 4-3 win Wednesday. Like Detroit, their moment on home ice was short, as will Detroit’s in what they hope will be victory before heading out.

The Canadiens took charge in the first two minutes, taking a great scoring chance to Husso. They notched four shots at the net, while Detroit had two against Jake Allen across the ice. Detroit took control, keeping the puck well inside the Montreal zone, and putting some close shots near the net. At 14:32, the Red Wings got their chance to test out the power play unit. Their attempts to go down low were all but stopped due to heavy traffic by the Canadiens in front of their netminder.

Despite lost chances, the Red Wings kept the possession in the Montreal end, putting together 12 more shots on goal through the midsection of the period. Montreal tallied two in that amount of time, but neither team found the back of the net. With 5:36 left, Montreal earned a shot to take the lead on an interference call to the Red Wings. Dylan Larkin took a chance at the puck and nearly had a short-hander for Detroit before being shut out at the hands of Allen.

The Canadiens didn’t make much of their man advantage, seeing the puck loosened up by the Red Wings. In the final minute of play, Detroit went back to the man advantage, inching closer to scoring the game’s first goal. A centering drive from Jakub Vrana sent the puck behind Allen and within inches of the line. The Montreal PK brushed it out of the way, but an open net just seconds later was taken, only to be stopped as well.

Getting out of trouble was huge for the Habs, who finished off the penalty and were happy to hear the horn sound ending 20 minutes of play. Detroit had shot 25 at the net, which bested any game they played last season. It was a major improvement for the team as a whole, who won 68 percent from the face-off delivering a dozen hits, and generating a positive outlook for the remaining 40 minutes.

The Canadiens went on their second power play 2:36 into the period, only to see the Detroit special teams work them out of any offensive position. When they returned to full strength, neither Montreal nor Detroit had a high offensive level. Through ten minutes, both teams had five shots on goal, but as they went on, a play for the Red Wings started with Larkin leading to chances at the net. The Habs netminder made the all-important stop, as time continued to tick down.

Detroit looked for the game’s first goal on their third power play, but not much was produced from the two-minute opportunity. They suddenly found themselves even as the second period closed, shooting nine against Montreal’s seven. The Habs won more pucks from the faceoff, earning their time with the puck in the period while limiting Detroit from heating up.

In the third, the Red Wings took matters into their own hands to dictate the pace right off the faceoff. At 2:33, Soderblom scored his first career goal on a wraparound move from Michael Rasmussen that got to the Swede for the centering shot. Though they had the all-important lead against Montreal, they watched their opponent rack up the shots on the net to Husso.

When they got into their third-man advantage, the Detroit goaltender made a big stop against Josh Anderson, who scored the game-winner against Toronto. The Red Wings went on to stop the Canadiens with eight minutes left in regulation. Detroit played on, preventing the Canadiens from gaining a boost in offense and an attempt at tying the score. With two minutes left, Montreal coach Martin St. Louis chose to pull Allen for the extra man on the ice.

Detroit got serious with 1:23 left, awaiting to see what Montreal put together after their timeout. The face-off took place in the Detroit zone, and the Red Wings cleared it out. Detroit won the puck and before the minute mark came, they got a jump on the Habs, with Andrew Copp getting the puck moving. He got it to Rasmussen, who took it into the empty net. Just 14 seconds later, it was 3-0 for the Red Wings, with Olli Maatta getting in on the action.

With two empty net goals on record, Montreal put Allen back in to finish the game and suffer a shutout at the hands of the home team. Maatta recorded the team’s 40th shot of the night, keeping Montreal back with 29. Breaking apart Montreal’s plan to level and force overtime was a huge success to bring a terrific start to the season.