The road is treating the Red Wings very kindly.
That would be the first-place Red Wings in the Atlantic Division, by the way.
At the halfway point of a season-long, six-game road trip Monday in Vancouver, the Wings defeated the Canucks, 4-0.
That gave the Wings the second win in three games (2-0-1) on this trip, with games in Calgary (Wednesday), Edmonton (Thursday) and Chicago (Saturday) remaining.
The victory also moved the Wings five games above .500 (16-11-3), and one point (35-34) ahead of both Tampa (16-11-2) and Boston (17-13-0). The Wings have earned points in five consecutive games (3-0-2).
Goaltender John Gibson stopped 36 shots and arguably played his best game with the Wings while recording his first shutout as a Red Wing.
BOX SCORE: Red Wings 4, Canucks 0
“He (Gibson) played well from minute one to minute 60,” coach Todd McLellan said on FanDuel Sports Detroit. “It took us a while to get our legs going and he saved our bacon in the first (period). He was there for us and the offense got him enough.”
Gibson was at his best in the first half of the game. Vancouver carried the play with two power plays, but Gibson made a variety of saves (an acrobatic stop on Jake DeBrusk, Gibson’s best) to keep the Canucks without a goal.
Gibson then preserved the victory in the third period with the Canucks pressing, playing as confidently as he’s looked in his first season with the Wings.
“I’m getting to where I want to be,” Gibson said. “I want to be more consistent night in and night out and I’m doing that.”
James van Riemsdyk opened the scoring late in the first period, his seventh goal and fifth in the last six games.
Andrew Copp (third goal) and Nate Danielson (second goal) scored 37 seconds apart in the second period, pushing the lead to 3-0. Axel Sandin-Pellikka assisted on both goals, while Marco Kasper earned his first assist of the season on Danielson’s goal.
Copp made it 2-0 at 15 minutes, 15 seconds of the second period. Patrick Kane gained possession of the puck and fed Alex DeBrincat skating through the slot. DeBrincat found a wide open Sandin-Pellikka near the dot, who fed Copp for the tip net-front.
Danielson quickly made it 3-0. Sandin-Pellikka’s shot from the point was tipped by Danielson net-front at 15:52, but Elmer Soderblom, who also played one of his best games of the season, made the play possible gaining control of the puck and holding on to it, before initiating the scoring play.
Van Riemsdyk opened the scoring, with a goal in his career-high, fourth-consecutive game. J.T. Compher caused a turnover behind the net, and pushed the puck into the slot where van Riemsdyk beat goaltender Kevin Lankinen at 14:14.
Dylan Larkin’s empty-net goal, his 16th, closed out the scoring at 15:29 of the third period.
“Just try to keep going,” Gibson said. “We’ve done some good things the last few games and we want to keep the momentum going.”
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
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