Rookie Lucas Raymond gave patient fans something to celebrate, earning his first career NHL goal on home turf – but he wasn’t able to finish the game.
It took until 6:17 in the third period Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets before the crowd at Little Caesars Arena had something to cheer, because Joonas Korpisalo blocked the first 33 shots he saw.
The Detroit Red Wings went on to win, 4-1, improving to 2-0-1.
Raymond sniped the puck off the rush on a setup from Dylan Larkin and then had a hand in Tyler Bertuzzi’s fifth goal of the season. Larkin assisted on both goals.
Raymond went to the dressing room and did not return after a hit by Jack Roslovic in the third period. Bertuzzi went after Roslovic and earned a roughing call, and Boone Jenner converted on the power play. Vladislav Namestnikov and Adam Erne added secured the victory with empty-net goals.
Shooting the puck
The Wings executed well out of the gate, getting shots on Korpisalo and keeping the puck away from Thomas Greiss. The Wings had a 7-0 edge in shots near the midpoint. Their execution failed them when Patrik Laine went off at 11:17 for slashing Robby Fabbri, though. Dylan won the draw against Sean Kuraly, but the Wings couldn’t maintain possession and Nick Leddy had to give chase to avoid a scoring chance against Greiss. FIlip Zadina one-timed a pass from Moritz Seider, but that was the only chance created during the man advantage. Back at even strength, Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi created a two-on-one rush but Korpisalo denied Larkin’s wrist shot from the right circle. That was one of 13 shots for the Wings; Greiss’ best save among eight in the first period was denying Yegor Chinakhov on a grade-a chance.
Squandered advantage
Cole Sillinger was called for high-sticking Moritz Seider at 12:54 of the second period and 26 second Kuraly went for tripping Larkin, giving the Wings 94 seconds on a two-man advantage. Larkin, Bertuzzi, Seider, Raymond and Filip Hronek manned the first unit. The Blue Jackets cleared the puck off the first face off, and when the Wings re-established possession, Raymond shot wide. Bertuzzi had a shot blocked. Larkin faked a wrap-around and tried to stuff the puck but Korpisalo used his legs to eliminate any gaps.
Suter adds dimension
Pius Suter’s line with Zadina and Fabbri had a good sequence in the second period, with both Suter and Zadina getting into the paint to force saves from Korpisalo. It’s only the first week of the season but the line has looked good. The Wings haven’t had much behind Larkin’s line the past couple seasons, but Suter, a free-agent signing by general manager Steve Yzerman, has been a nice addition. He’s smart with the puck, and while he isn’t big (5-11, 174 pounds) he doesn’t shy away from the hard areas
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lucas Raymond scores first goal; Detroit Red Wings win, 4-1