The Detroit Red Wings surrendered a two-goal third-period lead Saturday afternoon, falling 5-4 to the St. Louis Blues in a frustrating comeback loss. Detroit carried a 4-2 advantage into the third period, but St. Louis scored three unanswered goals to steal the victory.

The Red Wings entered the afternoon coming off a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Viktor Arvidsson recorded a hat trick and finished with a point on all four Detroit goals, while John Gibson stopped 18 of 19 shots.

St. Louis also came in riding momentum after a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas each recorded a goal and two assists, while Joel Hofer turned aside 30 of 31 shots.

Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster

News and Notes

Both teams went with their regular starting goaltenders. Gibson entered with a 4-4-1 record, a 3.15 goals-against average, and an .874 save percentage. Hofer came in at 5-3-1 with a 2.24 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage, and one shutout.

The Blues were without defenseman Colton Parayko, who was listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Detroit also made a roster move before the game, recalling defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker and reassigning Axel Sandin-Pellikka to Grand Rapids.

First Period: Teams Trade Early Goals

The Blues opened the scoring just 2:30 into the game. Dalibor Dvorsky made a nice move on Gibson before sliding a backhand shot into the net. Justin Barron and Dylan Holloway set up the goal with two excellent passes that found Dvorsky in front.

Detroit responded after Hofer misplayed the puck behind his net. Michael Rasmussen collected it and fed JT Compher, who buried the puck into the open net to tie the game at 1-1.

Neither team found another goal in the opening period. Detroit controlled the shot count, outshooting St. Louis 8-1, and neither team took a penalty.

Second Period: Red Wings Take Control

Detroit wasted little time taking the lead in the second period. Just 40 seconds into the frame, Carter Mazur fed Keegan Kolesar, who slipped the puck past Hofer for his first goal as a Red Wing.

The Red Wings nearly extended their advantage moments later. Hofer made a big save on an Arvidsson shot and stopped Anton Johansson on the rebound to keep the deficit at one.

Detroit received the game’s first power play when Adam Jiricek was called for tripping. However, just as the penalty expired, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard went to the box for hooking to give St. Louis its first man advantage. The Red Wings killed it off, and the Blues didn’t record their first shot of the period until 9:17.

St. Louis earned another power play when Arvidsson was called for tripping, but Gibson, Johansson, and William Wallinder helped Detroit kill off the penalty.

The Red Wings eventually added to their lead. Lucas Raymond made a beautiful move on Pius Suter before beating Hofer with a wrist shot to make it 3-1.

Gibson kept the two-goal advantage intact with a big save on Connor McMichael. However, St. Louis found a late goal before the intermission. Gibson stopped Robert Thomas, but Jimmy Snuggerud collected the rebound and tapped it past the Detroit goaltender to make it 3-2.

Detroit outshot St. Louis 8-7 in the second period and carried a one-goal lead into the final frame.

Third Period: Blues Complete the Comeback

Hofer made an early save on Emmitt Finnie, getting his paddle on the puck to send it out of play. However, Detroit found the back of the net shortly afterward.

Jake Neighbours was called for tripping 2:44 into the third, giving the Red Wings a power play. Finnie capitalized, beating Hofer with a wrist shot to put Detroit ahead 4-2.

There was some discussion about potential goalie interference, but officials allowed the goal to stand after Hofer collided with Arvidsson.

St. Louis had an opportunity to cut the deficit back to one after a strange bounce, but Robert Thomas couldn’t get his stick on the puck, and Gibson covered it.

The Blues eventually found their third goal when Pavel Buchnevich fired a wrist shot into the top-left corner. Neighbours picked up the assist, and St. Louis was back within one.

With seven minutes remaining, Barron blasted a shot past Gibson to tie the game at 4-4.

The momentum quickly shifted completely in St. Louis’ favor. Just 18 seconds after Barron’s goal, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki scored his first career NHL goal, deflecting a shot from Ivan Toropchenko past Gibson to give the Blues a 5-4 lead.

Detroit had little time to respond. The Blues received a power play when Finnie was called for holding, but the Red Wings killed it off. Despite their efforts, Detroit couldn’t find the equalizer and watched St. Louis complete the comeback.

Wrap Up:

Gibson finished the afternoon stopping 10 of the 15 shots he faced, while Hofer made 24 saves on 28 shots for St. Louis.

The Red Wings will look to bounce back Monday night when they head to Sunrise, Florida, to face the Panthers. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.

The Blues return to action Tuesday night with a trip to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers. That game is also scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.