Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan poured all of his lines in a blender for the team’s game against the Ottawa and the resulting mixture came out sweet.
The Red Wings scored five goals for only the second time in a month, and John Gibson made 35 saves, to beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3. This was only the second win in the past eight games against the Senators. The win moved Detroit back into first place in the Atlantic Division with 54 points, one point ahead of Tampa Bay.
McLellan’s line juggling included breaking up Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond and each scored a goal. It was only Raymond’s second goal since Dec. 2. James van Riemsdyk, now playing with Raymond, finished with a goal and two assists.
Andrew Copp also scored his sixth goal of the season as Detroit, the league’s lowest scoring first period team, built a 3-0 lead. The Senators pulled goalie Leevi Merilainen after the first period.
The Senators lost two goals on challenges: McLellan successfully challenged that a goal was offside in the first period. In the third period, the Senators thought they scored a goal, but officials waved it off for goalie interference. The Senators challenged, but the play stood as called.
Takeaways
Emmitt Finnie was minus-2 against the Senators and he’s minus-9 in the past four games… Detroit rookie defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka only played 13:32 minutes in the game.
Red Wings Key Moment
Michael Rasmussen scored Detroit’s first shorthanded goal in 78 games to restore Detroit’s two-goal lead with 7:07 left regulation. Rasmussen has five points in his past seven games.
Red Wings Key Stat
Gibson made 14 saves on power plays as Ottawa was 1-for-6 with the man advantage. Gibson is 10-2 since Dec. 2 with 35 or more saves in five of those wins.
Up Next
The Red Wings will be home to face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday before heading to a road meeting against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. They beat the Canucks in Vancouver, 4-0, on Dec. 8. The Red Wings lost to the Habs 5-1 at Little Caesars Arena on Opening Night.