The Detroit Red Wings rode an offensive outburst as the second period past a pair of LA power play goals in the third to secure a 5-3 victory on home ice
The Detroit Red Wings rode an offensive outburst as the second period past a pair of LA power play goals in the third to secure a 5-3 victory on home ice
Detroit, MI—Saturday night at Little Caesar's Arena, over a span of three minutes and 25 seconds late in the second period, the Detroit Red Wings—with help from a successful goalie interference challenge—turned a competitive, tight-checking game against a veritable Cup contender into a rout.
With three goals and the won challenge in short succession, Detroit upgraded a 2-1 margin to 5-1, affording the Red Wings the breathing room they would need to survive a pair of third period power play goals from the visiting Los Angeles Kings. In building that cushion, Detroit showed the kind of multi-layered attack that might just propel the Red Wings out of their playoff drought.
The first goal of the volley was perhaps the best illustration of the way Detroit swung the game. LA had posed problems for the home side in the game's early stages with a heavy cycle game in the offensive zone. On this occasion, Jaret Anderson-Dolan was in position to initiate another such cycle, only for Justin Holl to staple him to the end boards, allowing Daniel Sprong to take the puck and set into motion an end-to-end rush that would culminate in Robby Fabbri burying a Sprong rebound.
"We were trying to defend better around that area, and you love that one where it started with some proper positioning and arrival in the D zone into transition, and those guys finished on the odd-man," said Derek Lalonde of the sequence. "Sprong and Fabs have such hot sticks right now. They get those looks around the net, and it's been going in. Good for us."
The Red Wings would put the puck in the net a minute and four seconds later to take a 4-1 lead. This time, Patrick Kane did the honors, flashing the kind of high-end skill that Detroit teams of a recent vintage have always seemed to lack. Kane used a deft touch to control an Alex DeBrincat lead pass and side-step Kings defenseman Matt Roy in a single motion. Then, bearing down on Cam Talbot in the Los Angeles crease, he pulled off his a two-handed variation of Peter Forsberg's signature deke to tuck home the puck.
After a successful challenge overturned a Kings goal that would've made it 4-2, the Red Wings delivered the dagger—a double deflection of a Jeff Petry point shot. Christian Fischer got the first tip, then Andrew Copp added another for good measure, and the puck snuck past Talbot with just 13 seconds to play in the period. Instead of 4-2, the second finished at 5-1, thanks to a touch of offensive hockey in its simplest form: a low-to-high pass and bodies to the net.
Three goals in under four minutes—enough to put the visitors out of reach despite their best efforts—scored in three different ways: defense to offense, a simple showcase of devastating skill, then the old school cycle.
"We're playing against one of the better teams in the league," offered Kane. "They've been great on the road this year, so to come out and get off to that good of a start through two periods was absolutely ideal. I think everyone was ready to play tonight, and we've been trending in the right direction, so it's nice to get rewarded for it here."
On some level, the 2023-24 Red Wings are the team we thought they were: improved from a year ago, but, at least for the moment, not quite worthy of a playoff spot. But from a different point of view, they are not at all what anyone expected—driven as they are not by stingy defending and collective solidity but instead by a diverse attack capable of the kind of outburst they put forth late in Saturday's second period.
Of course, they'll have to defend much better than they did for most of December if they want to realize the season's ambition of cracking the postseason, but getting there also seems to hinge on their ability to their ability to play with the kind of versatile offense they showed this evening.
Like Fabbri's goal, that offense must start in the defensive zone. As Kane's goal showed, it also must include newfound attacking talents expressing their skill. Then, in keeping with the Petry-Fischer-Copp double deflection, finding a way through the mine field that is the Atlantic Division will also require some old fashioned grit and grind.
After the trying month that just was, Detroit's road to the postseason won't be easy, but if the Red Wings can keep playing the way they did tonight, their aspirations are within reach.
"Everyone's aware of what's going on and where we are, where we put ourselves from December," said Dylan Larkin—who scored Detroit's first two goals of the evening. "We had a tough, tough stretch there before Christmas, and we had a great trip out west, came home and played hard against Edmonton, and then that was one of better performances tonight, so it's great to see."
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