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.
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