For the second time in two days, the Detroit Red Wings were tasked with protecting a two-goal lead in the third period.
They flunked the test again Sunday, allowing the Anaheim Ducks to score twice after pulling their goaltender, but Patrick Kane salvaged the night with a goal in overtime that lifted the Wings to a 5-4 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
Marco Kasper, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane made it 3-0 five minutes into the game, and J.T. Compher scored in the second period as the Wings sought to flush having given up three straight goals to the Minnesota Wild in a 10-minute span that ended with an overtime loss Saturday. It didn’t go much better in regulation Sunday: Olen Zellweger edged the Ducks within a goal with 2:16 left, and Cutter Gauthier scored his second of the game with 52.5 seconds left in regulation.
They lost Andrew Copp to an undisclosed injury in the Wild game and Michael Rasmussen, also a center, did not return for the third period Sunday after absorbing what looked like a high hit from Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras in the second period.
Chaos to Kasper
Kasper put the Wings ahead, 1-0, at 3:11 of the first period. First he shadowed Troy Terry so well Terry lost the puck as he tried to go up ice. Dylan Larkin picked it up but his attempt to pass it into Anaheim’s zone was intercepted by Zellweger. Lucas Raymond recovered possession and fired the puck towards the net, where Kasper was in position for the redirection. That was Kasper’s 10th goal of the season — all the more remarkable considering he was sent to the minors when the season began because of a roster crunch. It took one week for the Wings to reconsider that decision and promote Kasper.
Two for two
It’s a rarity, but at 4:21 of the first period, officials called simultaneous penalties: One on Isac Lundestrom for tripping Vladimir Tarasenko and another on Brian Dumoulin for tripping Elmer Söderblom. It took just seven seconds for DeBrincat to score a power play goal for the second time this weekend, tapping in a backhand off Larkin’s rebound. Kane drew an assist on that goal, and then scored one of his own while the Wings were on a 5-on-4 man advantage, firing a rising shot from the high slot area to put the Wings ahead, 3-0, 5:06 into the game.
Ducks keep quacking
Ryan Strome stemmed some of the Wings’ momentum with a goal at 8:24 of the first period. Goalie Alex Lyon used his left leg to kick away Terry’s shot, but Strome got to the puck before any Wing could clear it and lifted it into the net. Compher improved the Wings to 3-for-3 on man advantages when he scored at 2:14 of the second period, but the Ducks got one back at 7:04 when Jackson LaCombe fired a puck that hit Gauthier on its way into Detroit’s net to make it 4-2 after two periods.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
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Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.