Red Wings crush Penguins late in 6-3 score.

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 18: Andrew Copp #18 of the Detroit Red Wings fist bumps with teammates after scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at Little Caesars Arena on October 18, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Detroit Red Wings won a decisive game against the Pittsburgh Penguins On Wednesday night. Dealing with a late surge from their opponents in the third period allowed them to take advantage of an empty net and win 6-3 at Little Ceasars Arena.

The Red Wings faced their real test in the Penguins who like them, acquired strong players like Erik Karlsson. Both teams were 2-1 coming into their fourth game of the season, but the matchup would spell out how things go. Ville Husso returned to the net after Reimer put up a shutout  Monday against Tampa. Having experience against strong teams gave Detroit a chance to show their talents and hunt down a win.

The Penguins made it a tough start as they ran into the Red Wings zone, with Evgeni Malkin getting the play rolling. He made a pass to Reilly Smith before getting in position to gain it back for his third of the season. Detroit tried to get into the same gear as their opponents’ but it was a tough task to gain extensive puck possession. Christian Fischer almost had a wraparound scoring chance against Tristan Jarry but missed the window opportunity.

In the 12th minute, the Red Wings caught up to Pittsburgh, waiting to even the score. They handed the Penguins a power play but killed it off before things changed. A fight to break through the Pittsburgh defense by Austin Czarnik allowed him to make the pass to Alex DeBrincat, who got to the open corner of the net, scoring his fourth. Detroit was running well as the period approached its conclusion, and the game tied. Husso made a huge save on Jeff Carter, who came at him solo and denied a lead change.

In the second set, the two teams picked up where they left off until Detroit struck first for the lead. At 5:31 defenseman Ben Chiarot got his first goal of the season with assistance from captain Dylan Larkin and Jeff Petry on the first line. Petry made it 3-1, making an outstanding play at the blue line with four minutes left. Getting control of the puck allowed him to fire a shot that went off the stick of Andrew Copp. A review showed that Copp got the stick below the crossbar on impact, giving him his second.

Detroit got a chance to widen the gap in the final minutes of the second, gaining a man advantage. It only took them 16 seconds to get it done, moving the puck quickly and ending the play with David Perron cashing in for his first. In the final minute, the teams got into a scuffle after Perron tripped Malkin. Marcus Petterson tried to fight with the Detroit captain, but nothing serious occurred.

Another scuffle occurred 40 seconds later after Husso stopped the puck. Malkin and Mortiz Seider got into it but had referees ending the fight early. The second period came to a close, with Pittsburgh moving the remainder of their power play into the third but suffering a loss of control. Detroit outshot them 12-8 and had 13 blocked shots in total. With a three-goal lead, the Red Wings needed to prevent things going south.

After the closing of two short power plays between the teams, Pittsburgh made a push to set up a scoring chance. Erik Karlsson helped cut into the gap, firing a shot behind Husso for his first with the team. Petry drew a penalty after hooking Noel Acciari. Detroit’s PK did their job and had a penalty shot for Copp after being hooked by Kris Letang. Copp’s attempt was stopped by Jarry, followed by big saves for Husso.

Pittsburgh continued their onslaught of shots in the period, challenging Husso to the brink. They managed to outshoot Detroit, and at 13:03, Bryan Rust fired the puck through traffic to put the Penguins within one. The remaining minutes were tense as Jarry waited to be called off for Pittsburgh to gain a sixth attacker. Detroit battled to clear the puck and saw Copp get to it, scoring on the empty net.

The Penguins challenged the goal on a potential offsides call being missed, with Michael Rasmussen being the culprit. The call was not conclusive leaving the Copp goal good. Pittsburgh suffered a bench penalty with 1:32 left, pulling Jarry once more. It was a bad move for the Penguins, who couldn’t stop Detroit. DeBrincat scored an empty netter himself for his second of the night.

With zeros on the clock, the Red Wings remained outshot by their opponents but had the last laugh, with four of their players scoring goals and nine overall with points.