Red Wings 6, Blues 4: Detroit Comes From Behind in Third Period to Steal Improbable Victory in St. Louis
The Red Wings overturn a late deficit with three third period goals to knock off the Blues in St. Louis
Late in the second period Tuesday night of what was then a 3-3, the undermanned Detroit Red Wings appeared to receive a harbinger of doom.
With Detroit on the power play, Shayne Gostisbehere's stick exploded as he attempted to fire a one-timer, setting up St. Louis Blues defenseman Marco Scandella with a shorthanded breakaway, which he converted. It appeared the weight of the team's absences was too heavy to bear, and the Red Wings were on their way to a pointless back-to-back.
It all felt a bit like the previous night's loss in Dallas: A commendable effort under the circumstances with the attack and forecheck showing flashes of danger but not enough to overcome dubious goaltending and defending. However, instead of yielding to star-crossed momentum, Detroit rallied for three unanswered third period goals to secure a 6-3 victory at the Enterprise Center that was equal parts rousing and improbable.
The Red Wings' comeback began where their doom had seemed to take shape late in the second: On the power play. 15 seconds into the third, St. Louis' Pavel Buchnevich went to the box for interfering with Robby Fabbri. Detroit's man advantage had threatened but not converted in three prior opportunities, but at a moment when the team yearned for a spark, the power play provided just that.
As Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond exchanged places, with the latter settling into a pocket of space in the slot, the Red Wings worked the puck quickly around the perimeter of the offensive zone—from Raymond along the left half-wall to Gostisbehere at the point to Patrick Kane on the right half-wall to Joe Veleno on the goal line and finally back inside to Raymond. Raymond one-timed home Veleno's feed to tie the game at four just 48 seconds into the third.
Five minutes and 50 seconds later, Robby Fabbri put Detroit out front to cap off a textbook forechecking sequence from the Red Wings. The zone entry (a combined effort between Justin Holl, Andrew Copp, and eventually Raymond) had been awkward, but Detroit got the puck deep, and Copp retrieved it once it got there.
With simple precision, Copp worked the puck to Raymond in the corner. Raymond paused for a beat then sent a pinpoint pass to Fabbri at the back post, where the former Blue had a tap-in to give the Red Wings a 5-4 lead six minutes and 38 seconds into the final period of regulation.
Seeing out that lead (which hasn't exactly been a strength for Detroit of late) was not an easy process, and St. Louis threatened to equalize throughout the latter half of the third. However, the sequence that clinched the game for the visitors illustrated the Red Wings' desperation to return to the win column.
With just under two minutes to play and the Blues on the power play, Joe Veleno pursued Jordan Kyrou along the left flank with dogged determination, eventually nabbing the puck along the boards. It seemed a simple matter of one player wanting the puck a lot worse than the other. Veleno cleared the stolen puck into open ice, allowing himself to change as Michael Rasmussen outraced a pair of Blues to Veleno's chip, tucking it into the net with his backhand to seal the 6-4 result.
Rasmussen had been excellent throughout the night—posing problems for St. Louis with his imposing figure on the forecheck and puck protection below the offensive goal line. Then, with the game on the line, he delivered Detroit to victory thanks to his incessant effort late in a short-handed shift.
As much as it felt a game the Red Wings needed, in truth, it was not a Detroit performance to remember for quality or consistency of effort. Nonetheless, the Red Wings showed endurance and resilience; their depth players provided the scoring otherwise lacking in a lineup without the likes of Dylan Larkin, J.T. Compher, David Perron, and Klim Kostin.
All three of Detroit's former Blues had a major hand in the victory. Jake Walman got the Red Wings on the board in the first period, Fabbri scored the aforementioned game-winner in the third, and Ville Husso made 33 saves on 37 shots to earn the victory.
In the end, the Red Wings were rewarded for their perseverance in the form of two much-needed points in the standings. Overwhelming or dominant? No, but it was enough to snap a three-game losing skid and return home from a trying back-to-back with a respectable result and a hint of swagger.
Detroit (now 15-9-4) will return to action Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena, when the Red Wings will host the Carolina Hurricanes.
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