DALLAS — The Detroit Red Wings pushed back when it looked like they were going to get another slap in the face.
They worked their way back into Tuesday’s game at American Airlines Center after giving up three straight goals to the Dallas Stars, the power play rising from dormancy to make a dent in the deficit.
It wasn’t enough to improve the trip, though, as the Wings lost a second straight game, falling 5-2. They played the third period without Dylan Larkin, who was pulled for COVID-19 protocol.
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Coach Jeff Blashill called a timeout to calm things down after Roope Hintz made it 3-0 at 7:24 of the second period. It paid off with a goal by Filip Zadina, who has put pucks on net but has only had three go in.
Larkin scored for the third straight game, and fourth time in that span, when he converted on a power play, scoring the Wings’ first man-advantage goal in five games. Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond drew assists, the 11th of the season for each rookie.
Jason Robertson put the Stars up by two again early in the third period, getting the puck behind the net and scoring on a wraparound, and put the game away with an empty net goal.
The trip continues Thursday at Vegas and concludes Saturday at Arizona.
Familiar foe
The last time Larkin and Jamie Benn met in a faceoff circle, Benn shoved his stick into Larkin’s spine, causing a neck injury that hospitalized Larkin overnight and left him in a brace for eight weeks. That was April 20, in the second game of a four-game series during last season’s pandemic-altered schedule. The Wings didn’t make Benn pay then, and there was no punishment from the NHL, either. The two captains didn’t line up against other other in the circle until five minutes left in the first period, when Benn won the draw.
Familiar feeling
The Wings fell behind by 2-0, just like they did Nov. 13 against Montreal and Oct. 27 against Washington. Defenseman Ryan Suter — whom the Wings unsuccessfully pursued as a free agent in 2012 after the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom — wired a shot from the high slot at 13:33 of the first period. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the third overall pick in the 2017 draft, fired a shot that Benn redirected 1:06 into the second period.
Familiar face
The game marked the first time the Wings played against Luke Glendening, who left the organization over the summer to sign with the Dallas Stars for two years at a $1.5 million salary cap hit. It wasn’t the money that made the Wings hesitant to resign the former alternate captain, it was a mix of a desire to add more offense and the knowledge that Michael Rasmussen was ready to play the role of shutdown center. Glendening is an ace in the faceoff circle, but Joe Veleno did win the first draw between the two.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.