Death, taxes, and the Detroit Red Wings being ‘goalied’ by a young netminder making his NHL debut, or in this case, a very inexperienced backup. The Avalanche got 28 saves from Justus Annunen, but it wasn’t enough to edge the pesky Red Wings.
Following a lengthy four-game West Coast road trip on Thursday night, the Detroit Red Wings returned home to muck it up with their once-hated rivals. I’ll never enjoy seeing the Avalanche jersey for obvious reasons, but the once blood-boiling rivalry has since cooled with Detroit now in the Eastern Conference, but some of us will never forget. The Red Wings entered the night 0-8-2 against the Avalanche over their past ten contests. The last time Detroit beat Colorado was back in 2017 at Joe Louis Arena.
You’d think when the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche get together in 2024, it would be nothing less than a barn burner, a high-flying, high-scoring affair—well, Thursday night proved entirely different. It further proves that sometimes hockey doesn’t make sense.
The Detroit Red Wings beat the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in overtime.
Detroit starting goaltender Alex Lyon once again stole the show early and often for the Red Wings. He made 11 first-period saves while his team stumbled out of the gate. Detroit only mustered five shots in the first frame. Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring, notching his 34th goal of the year early on in the second period. The play was set up by a nifty pass from linemate Mikko Rantanen; the secondary assist went to veteran defenseman Jack Johnson.
Despite trailing in the second period, the Detroit Red Wings dug in and started to garner some momentum of their own, outshooting the Avalanche 11-9 in the second period. Dylan Larkin got the Red Wings on the board in the third period with a power-play tally midway through the frame. It would be Larkin’s 25th goal of the season.
Dylan Larkin with his 25th of the season on the Power Play!#LGRW pic.twitter.com/fnUGJeb9AR
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) February 23, 2024
The Red Wings would eventually win Thursday’s game in overtime, thanks to Showtime. Patrick Kane delivered the winner thanks to a gorgeous drop pass from Larkin. Ben Chiarot was also in on the goal as he started the rush with a lengthy lead pass to Kane and again on the cycle before Larkin drew two defenders and dropped it to an open and waiting Kane. Larkin’s two points on Thursday gives him 51 points in 50 games this season, putting him in elite company. That makes Larkin the sixth Red Wing player in the last 30 years to record 50 points (or more) in 50 games or fewer in a season multiple times. Pavel Datsyuk did it six times, Henrik Zetterberg, Sergei Fedorov, and Steve Yzerman did it three times, and Paul Coffey (along with Larkin) did it twice.
PATRICK KANE WITH THE OVERTIME WINNER!#LGRW pic.twitter.com/2wq7mWfq3X
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) February 23, 2024
The comeback victory goes down as Detroit’s tenth third-period come-from-behind win this season, which leads the league. Again, Lyon was sensational, making 30 saves, many of which were anything but routine. One unsung hero and it wasn’t just Thursday; it’s been most of the season, is Ben Chiarot. He’s playing at a high level; you can see he’s playing loosely and confidently like he had been during Montreal’s run to the finals a couple of years ago. During that Habs run, Chiarot played with Jeff Petry but with Shea Weber more and averaged over 25 minutes a night during the playoffs. It’s safe to say he’s flushed last season, and he’s become a real asset to this team. He and Petry also deserve much credit for Detroit’s stout penalty kill. They’ve been excellent and the league’s best since just after Christmas, and that pairing, along with Jake Walman and Moritz Seider, shoulder a lot of the load.
Thursday had been a huge test for the Red Wings, and another one they passed. A massive two points for the Red Wings, who will return to the ice on Saturday afternoon to host the St. Louis Blues.
