The Detroit Red Wings were already coming off an adrenaline pumping victory Saturday evening. Would the return of captain Dylan Larkin serve as another shot of adrenaline.
The first period alone certainly answered that question. Pius Suter scored again and chipped in an assist while Lucas Raymond kept his hot streak alive in Detroit’s 5-2 victory over Vegas Sunday night.
The Red Wings fell behind early 1-0 on a defensive miscue that saw Nicholas Roy score after Detroit successfully killed off a power play seconds earlier. But the Red Wings would respond in time. After getting a power play chance, the Red Wings, yes the Red Wings, put on a passing clinic that ended with Tyler Bertuzzi finding Lucas Raymond in the slot. Raymond one-timed the pass into the yawning net, tying the game at one and just showing how important he already is to this team.
Detroit would respond again on its next power play opportunity, this time Pius Suter feeding Robby Fabbri in the right circle. Fabbri snapped one past Laurent Brossoit and gave the Wings a 2-1 lead and their second power play goal.
But as if that wasn’t enough secondary scoring, Suter corralled a blocked Filip Hronek shot and roofed it over a surprised Brossoit, giving the Red Wings a 3-1 advantage. The score would stand heading into the first intermission, and it was fun to see the Red Wings pour it on.
The Red Wings continued to have chances in the second period and the marked difference was their ability to push the play. It was rewarded on a bank shot from Vladislav Namestnikov that snuck by Brossoit and gave Detroit a 4-1 lead with just about nine minutes remaining in the period. The Red Wings continued to control the play, even through a penalty kill , and coasted into the second intermission ahead 4-1.
Jonathan Marchessault ripped one past Thomas Greiss at about the 15 minute mark of the third, after Vegas had dominated the first five minutes of the final frame of the game. The Red Wings had another play opportunity with some grade A scoring chances but couldn’t convert. More impressively, they kept the puck in the Vegas end for nearly the entire two minutes, burning time off the clock and tiring some Knights out.
Vegas emptied the net with about four minutes to go, and Bertuzzi iced the game with an empty net goal with less than a minute left, sealing the 5-2 victory for Detroit.
After what had been a putrid showing for the Red Wings against Montreal and Boston, they really turned it around in the comeback victory against Buffalo and then again tonight, really dictating play.
Detroit plays again Tuesday against Ken Holland and his Edmonton Oilers.