Detroit Red Wings record first victory in more than a week, best Hockey Club in Utah, 5-1
SALT LAKE CITY — Alex Lyon came to the rescue after the Detroit Red Wings lost Petr Mrazek less than two minutes into Monday's game.
Their inaugural trip to Delta Center to take on the first-year Utah Hockey Club presented some challenges – like getting into Utah's zone – but the Wings pulled out a 5-1 victory and won for the first time in more than a week. The Wings (33-31-6) pulled within three points but remained four teams behind the second wild card in the East.
Skaters had to do some quick regrouping after seeing Petr Mrazek leave with an injury 1:36 into the game, but Lyon looked sharp, especially considering it was his first appearance since March 6. He made 16 saves and registered his first victory since Feb. 23.
Austin Watson, called up last week to offset injuries, provided a cushion when he scored on a fluky redirection goal midway through the third period, sending the puck up and over Karel Vejmelka. Alex DeBrincat added an empty-net goal, and Tyler Motte scored with 1:28 to play – but even so, the Wings only finished with 14 shots (not that Utah was much better: After nine in the first period, they finished with just 18).
Elmer Söderblom scored in the first period, and Marco Kasper – also on a deflection – in the second period as the Wings won for the first time since March 16 and only the third time in the last 12 games.
Rough start
Mrazek was injured when Dylan Guenther crashed into the crease, sending Mrazek's stick flying across the ice and sending Mrazek skating to his team's bench to head to the locker room. A minute after that, Tyler Motte was called for tripping, leaving the Wings shorthanded. A minute later, their penalty kill again showed its vulnerability, giving up a goal to Guenther. Söderblom quieted some of Utah's momentum when he scored off a feed from Vladimir Tarasenko at 5:08 to make it 1-1. That was one of only two shots the Wings registered on Karel Vejmelka in the first period.
Making zone-time count
The Wings pulled ahead, 2-1, at 1:34 of the second period on a goal that didn't even register as a shot. Alex DeBrincat skated the puck into Utah's zone, slipping a little pass to Kasper. Kasper forwarded the puck down low to get it back to DeBrincat, who backhanded the puck towards the net from behind the goal line. Kasper took a swipe at it, and the puck deflected in off Lawson Crouse. Lyon came through with a big save on Crouse later in the period to protect the lead as the Wings headed into the third period with Utah holding a 14-5 edge in shots.
Righties and lefties
With Jeff Petry available again after being sidelined since Jan. 2 with an undisclosed injury, the Wings regained having three right-handed shots (Petry, Moritz Seider and Justin Holl) in the lineup. Petry, 37, has slowed as he's aged, but he's a veteran familiar with how much tougher it is to play this time of year. Petry was paired with Simon Edvinsson, which meant splitting up him and Albert Johansson, a pairing that's been clicked since Johansson joined the lineup full time with McLellan's arrival and Petry's injury. "We liked how that pairing has played, and we really didn't want to break them up," McLellan said. "But we talked about who might complement each other. We're going to need everybody. It's not like we can just go to four or five defensemen early in the game, so we're trying to balance it out."
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 latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are 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 score: 5-1 victory at Utah Hockey Club
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