DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings rookie Nate Danielson scored a pretty goal with a slick move at the net that didn’t count.

But the greasy goal he was credited for a few before that one counted. It was his first in his fifth NHL game and was huge for his confidence and important for the team in a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken.

“It was exciting,” Danielson said. “It was nice to get that off my back and bury one.

“It was not the prettiest one, but they all count.”

Axel Sandin-Pellikka’s shot from the point went in off of Danielson’s left shin after it was tipped by Mason Appleton. It put the Red Wings ahead 2-1 at 2:04 of the second period.

“I felt it hit off my leg and just kind of looked at Axe and kind of asked me (if it hit him) and I said yeah, and he started jumping up and down and it was exciting,” Danielson said.

Danielson appeared to give his team a 3-1 lead at 5:01 when he drove to the net and cut across and tucked the puck past Joey Daccord. But Seattle challenged it and a lengthy video review showed Emmitt Finnie was barely offside.

“It’s too bad,” coach Todd McLellan said. “You score two and one’s a beauty. And the ugly one counts. But the puck will still go up on the wall. And you can lie to everybody 20 years from now and tell them we went end to end and it won’t matter.”

Finnie made up for by taking a pass from Danielson and scoring on the power play at 10:56 of the second to snap a 2-2 tie.

“I told him that I would have been a little mad at him if he didn’t score that one, so he made up for it,” Danielson said.

Said Dylan Larkin: “It felt like he just needed to get one and, geez, look at what a little bounce can do and a little confidence and he made a heck of a play to Finn as well.

“I think he’s rock solid, steady defensively. I think he was just itching to break through and it’s important to get the first one out of the way in any season, but also in your career and credit to him for sticking with it and going to the net.”

McLellan paid Danielson a big compliment by calling him a player that can be trusted.

“He wants to score like everybody else, but he’s approaching it methodically and the right way,” McLellan said. “I don’t hesitate to put him on the ice at all. I believe he can take care of himself and his teammates in his own (end). Been trained pretty well on both sides of the puck, which is a good thing.”

McLellan said during the preseason that Danielson might have made the season-opening roster if not for an injury in the preseason. He returned to play four games with the Grand Rapids Griffins before being recalled by Detroit.

“It definitely gave me confidence,” Danielson said. “Obviously never want to get injured, but I feel like it kind of gave me that little extra motivation to get back and get back healthier knowing that I had a good chance to play here.

“Just a couple games under my belt. Feeling more comfortable and confident.”

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