Lucas Raymond wasted no time setting the tone in Vancouver.
By the time the first 10 minutes had barely passed, Raymond already had two goals and an assist, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard had picked up two assists, and the Detroit Red Wings were rolling on their way to a 5-2 win over the Canucks at Rogers Arena. Detroit kept piling it on from there, extending its point streak to six games and moving to 4-3-3 while collecting its third win in four outings.
The scoring wasn’t coming from just one line or one side of the ice, either. The Wings got production throughout the lineup and contributions from the blue line, with Michael Rasmussen scoring his first goal since Jan. 5 of this year and Albert Johansson recording his first point of the season.
Detroit also had to navigate a chaotic night in goal. John Gibson left after two periods with an upper-body injury and later reappeared on the bench, while Michal Postava, called up as an emergency earlier in the day, took over in the third period for his NHL debut. Daniil Tarasov was unavailable after tweaking something during Wednesday’s practice, leaving Gibson as the backup to start.
J.T. Compher’s return after missing seven games with an undisclosed injury gave Detroit the ability to dress 12 forwards again after using 11 over the previous five games.
Emmitt Finnie centered Alex DeBrincat and Viktor Arvidsson, Dylan Larkin worked with Brandsegg-Nygard and Raymond, Andrew Copp lined up with Rasmussen and Compher, and Nate Danielson skated with Carter Mazur and Keegan Kolesar. On defense, Moritz Seider was paired with Ben Chiarot, Justin Faulk with William Wallinder, and Anton Johansson with Albert Johansson.
Raymond’s first goal came at 4:18 of the opening period, just after Larkin sent a puck toward the far boards. Brandsegg-Nygard got to it quickly and worked it back to Albert Johansson at the blue line, and Johansson’s shot changed direction off Raymond for a 1-0 lead. Raymond had already scored his first goal of the season Tuesday in Seattle, and he carried that momentum straight into this one.
Detroit kept pressing in the second. Wallinder made it 2-0 at 6:04 when his shot from the point deflected through traffic and into the net. Vancouver answered on the penalty kill when Elias Petterson blasted a slap shot from the right circle, with former Wings defenseman Filip Hronek drawing the assist, but the Red Wings quickly took the air right back out of the building.
At 8:56, Raymond struck again. He was planted near the crease, won the battle for a loose puck in a scramble, and finished the chance on the power play to push the lead to 3-1.
The Canucks barely saw the puck after that. Detroit outshot Vancouver 11-5 in the period, then turned the second into a total shutdown: a 13-0 shot advantage and no Vancouver shots on goal all period.
Anton Johansson added to the cushion at 14:58 of the second, earning his third assist of the season when his shot went in off Rasmussen. That made it 4-1 and set up a third period that belonged mostly to the visitors.
Postava, thrown into the fire in the third, got a soft landing thanks to the scoreline. Finnie scored four minutes into the period to make it 5-1, and the home crowd responded with sarcastic cheers when Vancouver finally got a shot on net at 6:34 - its first since 7:02 of the opening period.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki added Vancouver’s second goal at 10:37, finishing a setup from Marco Rossi, but by then the night had long since tilted Detroit’s way.
The Red Wings continue their road trip Saturday night against the Calgary Flames at 10 p.m. on Detroit SportsNet. It’s their only stop at the Scotiabank Saddledome this season, and they’ll close the four-game trip in Edmonton on Monday night before returning home to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 29.
In Other News...
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Red Wings Suddenly Have More Than One Problem To Watch In Vancouver
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Off the ice, there is another layer of intrigue surrounding Dylan Larkin, whose preferred trade list has expanded, though Canadian teams are not part of it. Add in the teams effort to strengthen its relationship with its captain and the fact that Simon Edvinsson remains unsigned, and Vancouver suddenly looks like more than just another game on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]