Dylan Larkin wasted no time making his season debut count.
Back in the lineup after missing all of Training Camp, the preseason, and Detroit’s first two regular-season games, the former Red Wings captain scored in the first period and added an assist in a 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena. Even after getting booed when he first stepped on the ice and touched the puck on his opening shift, Larkin finished the night as the game’s first star.
Detroit also had to navigate the night without forwards J.T. Compher, Marco Kasper, and Mason Appleton, plus unsigned RFA defenseman Simon Edvinsson. That opened the door for William Wallinder to make his NHL debut on the blue line, and he logged 9:07 of ice time.
The Senators got the first punch from Tim Stutzle, who beat John Gibson with a quick shot at 2:44 of the first period. Detroit answered almost immediately, with Alex DeBrincat tying it 32 seconds later for his first goal of the season.
The Red Wings then grabbed their first lead of the season just after a power play expired, as Larkin finished a centering pass from Viktor Arvidsson at 13:14.
Detroit kept rolling early in the second. Arvidsson struck 2:01 into the period for his second goal in as many games, burying the rebound of a Larkin chance past Senators goalie Samuel Ersson. A few minutes later, Justin Faulk delivered the night’s most eye-catching goal, cutting through multiple Ottawa players and lifting the puck high while falling to the ice.
Ottawa made things interesting after that. Drake Batherson scored on the power play, and William Eklund added another goal midway through the third period to tighten the game.
The Senators pulled Ersson, but they never found the equalizer. With 50 seconds left in regulation, DeBrincat scored his second of the game into the empty net to close it out for Detroit.
Gibson stopped 21 shots for the Red Wings, while Ersson finished with 31 saves for Ottawa.
Tempers flared late in the second period, with fights breaking out between DeBrincat and Shane Pinto, Ben Chiarot and Ridley Greig, and Emmitt Finnie and Jordan Spence. Finnie was not penalized, so it will not count as his first official NHL fight.
Detroit returns to action Friday against the visiting Seattle Kraken at Little Caesars Arena.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkins Return Came With A Reality Red Wings Fans Cant Ignore
Dylan Larkins return to the Red Wings lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury gave Detroit a familiar jolt, even if the circumstances around him remain anything but simple. He had already been through a summer trade request, and the noise around that decision has not faded, but he was back on the ice and helped the Red Wings beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 with the kind of night Detroit needs from one of its most important players.
The return also came with a reminder that the situation is still uncomfortable for everyone involved. Larkin heard boos from fans and took some chirping from opponents, but he said his focus is on playing and helping the team win until a trade happens. For now, the Red Wings are getting production from a player whose future has been a topic all season, and that reality is hard for their fans to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Got A Response That Only Deepened The Frustration
The early-season mood around Little Caesars Arena has already turned sour, and Chris Ilitch tried to meet that frustration head-on with a letter posted on LinkedIn. After a 1-2 start, Red Wings fans have made their displeasure clear with chants to sell the team and boos directed at captain Dylan Larkin, and the organization is now leaning on promotions to help fill the building while the noise around the club keeps growing.
What made the response land so awkwardly is what it left unsaid. Ilitchs note addressed the frustration, but it did not touch on Steve Yzermans removal or the ongoing search for a new general manager, and the questions around the front office are only getting louder as the situation around top defenseman Simon Edvinsson adds another layer of uncertainty for a team already trying to calm its fan base. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin's Return Gave The Red Wings Something They Desperately Needed
Dylan Larkins first game back gave the Red Wings the jolt they had been waiting for. Detroit looked more composed from the start in its home meeting with Ottawa, staying out of early penalty trouble and playing with the kind of urgency that had been missing during a winless stretch that dragged on for nearly six months. Alex DeBrincat led the way offensively with three points, and head coach Todd McLellan had plenty of reason to like the way his team responded around its captains return.
Larkin made the kind of immediate impact Detroit needed, scoring in a game the Red Wings controlled on the way to a 5-2 victory. It was the teams first lead of the season, a small but meaningful marker for a club trying to reset its tone after a frustrating start. The bigger question now is whether this was a one-night spark or the beginning of the Red Wings finally finding the steady play they have been searching for. [Read more 🡒]