Red Wings 3, Ducks 2: Detroit Grabs Late Win to Complete Perfect California Trip
A late goal from Michael Rasmussen propels the Red Wings to a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks and a perfect 3-0 record through California
In their three-game tour through California, the Detroit Red Wings played neither pretty, nor dominant hockey. For long stretches of all three games, they suffered, forced to absorb pressure rather than apply it. But, instead of dominating three games in the Golden State, the Red Wings did something far more important: winning three games.
On Sunday evening in Anaheim, with barely a minute remaining on the clock, Michael Rasmussen re-directed a Moritz Seider point shot past Lukas Dostal with the boot of his skate to lift Detroit to a 3-2 lead.
67 seconds later, the final horn sounded with the score unchanged, and, for the first time since January 2008, the Red Wings—now 20-16-4—had earned a perfect 3-0 road trip through California.
After going from December 5th to January 4th without winning consecutive games, Detroit needed the western sweep to stabilize their position in the chase for the 2024 postseason.
Talismanic Anaheim forward Trevor Zegras opened the scoring just 20 seconds into the game, when he tipped a shot from Radko Gudas—who was at the center of the action all evening, both between the whistles and after them—past Alex Lyon from the high slot.
The Red Wing power play went just one for five on the evening, but they created danger all night long, even if they could only convert once. That goal came just past the midpoint of the first, when Dylan Larkin capped a well-worked passing sequence from Shayne Gostisbehere to David Perron and on to the captain in his bumper position.
Not long after the goal, Detroit held its collective breath when Larkin went down the tunnel to the locker room after absorbing a cross-check from Mason McTavish. Given Larkin's recent injury history, the incident provided profound cause for concern but fortunately he was able to return by the start of the second.
At the 2:20 mark of the second, Joe Veleno managed to tuck a wrap-around past Gudas and Dostal and just barely across the goal line. It was initially ruled a freeze from Dostal, but replay revealed that the puck had inched across the goal line.
The Red Wings carried that 2-1 lead into the locker room for the second intermission, only for Zegras to score his second of the game to tie the score just under four minutes into the third.
Detroit had two power play chances to get back in front, but, despite great success in creating chaos in the offensive zone, the Red Wings' power play couldn't find the go-ahead goal. Instead, it was Rasmussen who did the honors, capping off an extended stay in the offensive zone by nabbing the game winner.
The officials reviewed the goal to consider whether Rasmussen had kicked home the puck, but, despite the puck clearly caroming in off Rasmussen's skate, they deemed it a legal redirection rather than an illegal kicking motion.
It was that kind of trip for the Red Wings. The margins were thin, the games were far from easy or pain-free, but in the end, the results were joyous ones for Detroit as they swept their way from San Jose to Los Angeles and on through Anaheim.
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