Dylan Larkin nets two as Detroit Red Wings take the shine off Vegas Golden Knights, 5-2
The Detroit Red Wings continued to roll as they tested themselves against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Saturday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights capped a busy week for the Wings, who played for the fourth time in seven days. They won their second straight and third in that span by defeating the champs, 5-2.
"It's a real credit on the guys, especially where we in December," coach Derek Lalonde said as the Wings improved to a 9-2-1 record in January after going 5-9-1 in December. "And the quality of opponents we've played in this stretch - again, it's just a huge credit for the guys. We needed a stretch like this to get in the fight, and we've done that."
A lively crowd at Little Caesars Arena cheered as Dylan Larkin (for career goal No. 200) and Jake Walman scored two minutes apart in the first period; Joe Veleno added a power play goal after the Golden Knights tied the game. Andrew Copp provided a bit of a cushion when he scored midway through the third period; that was greeted with one of multiple "JA-RED GOFF" chants by fans.
"The building was unbelievable," Larkin said. "The fans have been great all year, but tonight had a little extra buzz and we felt it."
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Finally, Larkin added his 22nd goal of the season with 1:30 to play when he scored into an empty net; that was greeted by an octopus thrown onto the ice.
Copp and Walman both reached 10 goals, giving the Wings 10 players with 10 or more goals this season.
Alex Lyon finished with 28 saves after a shaky first period.
"Our goalie tonight was amazing," Lalonde said. "I didn’t like his first, I didn’t think he was sharp, and I’m sitting there, maybe it’s caught up to him how much we’ve played him. And he was just a beast in the second and third. That’s a credit to him."
The Wings (26-18-5) play one more game, Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators at LCA, before the All-Star/winter break, with their first game back set for Feb. 10 against the Vancouver Canucks at LCA.
Point streak grows
Larkin extended his point streak to 11 games when he scored 5 minutes into the first period, finishing a setup from linemates Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond by beating Logan Thompson from the slot. It was the eighth goal and 14th point during the stretch that began Jan. 4 in Los Angeles. The Wings built on that two minutes later when Walman took a pass from David Perron and directed a slap shot on net. J.T. Compher was in position for a redirect or rebound, but it wasn't needed; Walman's shot went in, making him the ninth Wing this season with at least 10 goals.
Playing the odds
The Golden Knights played the night before in New York (beating the Rangers, 5-2) but didn't lack for jump from the start. Ivan Barbashev dove to swipe in Nicolas Roy's rebound a minute after Walman's goal to make it 2-1, and Paul Cotter tipped the shot from Rochester Hills native Alec Martinez past Lyon at 10:55 to tie the game. The Wings were able to reestablish a lead before the first period ended, on their second consecutive power play, when Veleno connected on Moritz Seider's pass. That was Veleno's ninth goal of the season, matching his career high set last year. It was Seider's second assist of the game, giving him 100 for his career.
Trying for more
Lyon and Thompson both had their hands full in the second period. Daniel Sprong had two chances, and was thwarted on his second attempt when he couldn't lift his backhand shot over Thompson's right pad. His two shots were among 15 the Wings had in that period alone. Lyon made two saves on Jonathan Marchessault alone during a Vegas power play early in the period, and 11 total in the period.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings beat defending champ Vegas Golden Knights, 5-2
