It was difficult to determine which was the bigger relief in Detroit - the win by the Red Wings, or the six goals they deposited into the Anaheim Ducks’ net.
Considering they were concluding a five-game homestand that began 0-3-1, we’ll go with former on this occasion.
“It’s nice for us to get two points here,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said after Saturday’s 6-4 win over the Ducks at Joe Louis Arena, the sense of relief evident in his voice.
While losing their previous four games, the Wings had scored a paltry three goals. They scored that many in the second period Saturday.
“For sure, we needed that,… said left-winger Tomas Tatar, who fired a hat-trick, nearly equalling his season output of four goals in 31 games in one night.
Tatar felt it was a case of the Wings finally being rewarded for their efforts. Certainly, Detroit played a much harder game than in recent efforts. The Wings forechecked the Anaheim defense effectively and forced the Ducks defenders into making mistakes.
“It’s been a tough stretch here,… said center Frans Nielsen, who scored for the first time in seven games. “I think we came out and we played tonight. We were skating, we were physical and we were getting pucks deep and we made sure they had to work for everything they got out there.
“It was a good effort and it was good to see that. It will get some confidence in the room again and prove that we’re a good hockey team.…
On The Rebound It didn’t start out like it would be a good night for the Wings. Anaheim grabbed a 2-0 lead on a pair of first-period powerplay goals and after Tatar scored his first, the Ducks extended their advantage to two goals once more.
It was then that the real turning point of the game arrived, when a Tatar shot bounced off the backboards and into the net off Anaheim goalie Jonathan Bernier to make it 3-2, the first of four successive Red Wings goals.
“It’s a 3-1 game and getting that one right after their third and it’s for sure the kind of bounce you’re looking for,… Nielsen said.
Tatar just smiled at his good fortune.
“It went in and everybody just starts playing,… Tatar said. “It was a game-changer for sure.
Nielsen viewed it as just rewards for Detroit’s effort.
"We worked hard tonight and I think we’ve been talking about it,… Nielsen said. “You’ve got to earn your bounces in this league. Tonight we worked and we got the bounces.…
You Otter Know Steve Ott was billed as the kind of player Detroit didn’t have when he was signed as a free agent during the summer, and his teammates felt a spirited first-period fight between Ott and Anaheim’s Joseph Cramarossa when the Ducks were up 2-0 helped awaken the Wings to the task at hand.
“Yeah it was nice to see,… Zetterberg said. “I thought everyone on the bench got fired up. It was a good fight.
“That’s what he does and he does it well.…
Ott was happy to help any way he could but wasn’t about to take credit as the sole factor in igniting the turnaround.
“Obviously we needed a little something, maybe a baby spark,… Ott said. “But I really liked the team’s resolve today. That’s the big picture. We stuck with it.
“We struggled here in the last little while, everybody knows that. You get down two goals right off the bat and it’s tough to climb back in games, especially against a strong team like Anaheim, the way they play a very dominant type of style. But we found a way.…
Upon Further (And Further) Review With a referee’s review followed by a coach’s challenge for goalie interference by Anaheim’s Randy Carlyle, six minutes elapsed from the time Dylan Larkin scored to apparently make it 5-3 Detroit before the goal was ruled official.
This delay of game did not sit well with the Wings, who were carrying the momentum of the game at the time.
“That’s the tough part with that rule, the referee reviewing it and then the other team challenging it,… Zetterberg said. “They’ve got to find a way to speed up that process if we’re still going to have that coach’s challenge.…
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