The first game since a two -week break left the Detroit Red Wings filled with regret. At least they don’t have too much time to live on their overtime loss to Minnesota, as they will host Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Detroit could not hold a 3-1 third period lead in a 4-3 overtime loss to the visiting Wild on Saturday. It cost the red wings a valuable point in their pursuit of a playoffs.
“The best thing is that we get a new game tomorrow,” said ahead Lucas Raymond. “We know what we should have done better. We played a pretty solid game for two and a half (periods) and let it slip away from us. Everyone will be anxious to come back on it.”
Raymond made a Power Play goal 22 seconds into the third period. The red wings gave up a goal on a delayed sanction and allowed the binding goal after Vilda drew his goalkeeper. Marco Rossi made the game winner on an interruption after coming out of the penalty box, as Detroit failed to take advantage of an overtime, 4-on-3 power play.
“We have to score there and set the game,” said Center Dylan Larkin. “They got one there on 5-on-4 which was a delayed penalty, and they got a 6-on-5. We just let them get into the zone and establish zone time late in the game.”
Larkin scored his 13th Power-Play goal for the season and tied him for the league lead. It will be the third game in four days for Larkin, a prominent member of Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-off event.
“Are we disappointed that we gave up a point? Sure. I thought when we started the third and scored, we felt pretty good,” said the Detroit coach Todd McLellan. “Then the next power play, we were a little sloppy, and we could have put the nail in the coffin and it hurt us a bit.”
The red wings had a somewhat similar experience in their first meeting with Anaheim on November 15. The Ducks scored four goals from the third period to pull out a 6-4 victory.
Anaheim will have an even faster turn than Detroit on Sunday. While Red Wings played an early afternoon competition, Ducks secured a 3-2 overtime victory at Boston on Saturday night. Leo Carlsson made the game winner after the Bruins band the competition with 1:11 left in regulation.
Anaheim will carry a winning line with four games in Sunday’s game. It has won seven of their last eight matches to move over .500 brand.
“Getting two points in this building is difficult and we were ready for the challenge,” said Forward Frank Vatrano, who made one of the regulatory goals. “Of course they tied up the game late and we were resistant all the way to the end. That’s big two points for us. We have to continue.”
The Ducks defense has been solid during the four-game wave -de has not given more than two goals in that route.
The Detroit Center Andrew Copp will probably not play on Sunday after he suffered an injury during a second period on Saturday.
-Field level media
