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Among the offseason signings that Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman brought to his club was veteran forward James van Riemsdyk, who was the second overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft behind his now-current teammate Patrick Kane. 

While van Riemsdyk had a slower start to his first season in Detroit than he would have liked, he's making up for lost time. 

van Riemsdyk scored the game-tying tally late in the second period of Saturday evening's 4-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena, giving him goals in three straight games and in five of his last six. 

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His three-game goal streak has also now matched the longest of his career. 

It’s the steady presence of a veteran with more than 1,100 NHL games that’s paying off for the Red Wings, as head coach Todd McLellan noted while praising both his game-tying goal and his calm defensive play late in the contest.

"You could see for James, he's got such a patient game," McLellan said of van Riemsdyk afterward. "You could tell he's played a long, long time. Even at the end, with getting the puck out off the glass, no panic in his game."

Not seeking individual glory, van Riemsdyk is happy that his personal successes have contributed to the betterment of the team. 

Patrick Kane's Late Game Heroics Helps Red Wings To 4-3 Win Over Kraken The 497th goal in the career of Patrick Kane proved to be the game-winner for the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday evening against the Seattle Kraken.

“I was just looking pass pretty much the whole way, I thought the D did a good job of taking that away, and that’s usually kind of my last resort is firing it in on the far side," van Riemsdyk said. "Thankfully, it went in.”

"To score and make it 3-3, it kind of settled everything down a bit." 

van Riemsdyk missed all of Training Camp and the pre-season slate of games after his wife gave birth to twins, one of whom required extra time in the hospital in Minnesota.

While it took him a bit longer to find his usual rhythm, van Riemsdyk is in a groove right now that's paying dividends for Detroit in the standings. 

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