Detroit Red Wings blow two-goal lead, begin road trip with 5-3 loss at Columbus

The Detroit Red Wings began their second extended road trip with disappointment.

Dylan Larkin and Michael Rasmussen provided an early lead, but the Blue Jackets flattened two deficits Monday at Nationwide Arena to hand the Wings a 5-3 loss, overshadowing rookie Lucas Raymond’s fourth multi-point game of the season.

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Dylan Larkin scored for the second straight game and Michael Rasmussen got his first of the season, but the Blue Jackets battled back in the second period. Ex-Wings forward Gustav Nyquist set up a goal by Boone Jenner, and Adam Boqvist angled the puck high on Thomas Greiss to tie the game.

The Wings got a power play early in the third period but it only lasted 51 seconds before Sam Gagner was sent off for hooking; they also put the puck in the net, but it was waved off because of a high stick.

There were about six minutes left when Larkin poked the puck loose in the corner and Tyler Bertuzzi picked it up, striding to the net before tapping a pass to Raymond, who immediate redirected the puck. Yegor Chinakhov forced another tie at 15:42, and Zach Werenski gave the Blue Jackets their first lead with 1:19 to play off another setup by Nyquist. Alexandre Texier took advantage of an empty net with three seconds left.

The Wings (8-7-2) continue the trip Tuesday at the Dallas Stars.

Chaos at the net

Larkin scored his third goal in two games and fourth in four games at 14:45 of the first period. Raymond got squeezed off the puck along the boards, leading to a battle for the loose puck. There was chaos at the net, with Larkin and Bertuzzi trying to corral the puck. Raymond got control of it near the slot and flipped the puck down across the crease to Larkin, who tapped the puck behind Elvis Merzlikins.

Throw it at the net

Rasmussen scored at 4:23 of the second period on a harmless looking play that demonstrated yet again why it's a good idea to just put the puck on net. Vladislav Namestnikov moved the puck into Columbus’ zone along the boards, pulled up and slipped a backhand pass to Rasmussen, who fired a shot from the top of the left circle. Merzlikins had a clear view of the play, but the puck slid by him, glove side.

Veleno's net gain

With Mitchell Stephens on injured reserve because of a lower-body injury suffered Saturday, Joe Veleno was promoted for the second time this season. He had a goal and an assist in four appearances Oct. 30-Nov. 6, earning both against the Maple Leafs, where he arrived after carpooling from Detroit to Toronto with general manager Steve Yzerman. Veleno, a first-round pick from 2018, started Monday’s game in Stephens’ spot between Carter Rowney and Sam Gagner.

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.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings begin road trip with 5-3 loss at Columbus