- The Detroit Red Wings beat the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0, on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.
- Petr Mrázek picked up a shutout in his third straight start for the Wings.
- Albert Johansson scored in the second period and Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper in the third.
An opponent showing signs of vulnerability helped the Detroit Red Wings show signs of life.
They won for the second time in three games — but also just the second time in nine games — when they took advantage of a struggling Vegas Golden Knights team to win, 3-0, in Sunday’s matinee at Little Caesars Arena.
The victory bumped the Wings to 32-29-6; at 70 points, they’re still on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, tied with the Columbus Blue Jacketrs and looking up at three additional teams.
WINGS MAILBAG: Playoff math, Petr Mrázek and revisiting Jake Walman trade
On Sunday, Albert Johansson scored in the second period and Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper in the third.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Petr Mrázek, making his third straight start, didn’t see a ton of work, but he had his moments, like forcing Ivan Barbashev to shoot wide on a breakaway near the start of the third. There was also a bit of luck involved: At 2-0 in the third, Mark Stone fired a shot that Mrázek only got a piece of, with the puck sliding into the blue paint towards the goal line. Dylan Larkin knocked it away a split second before a Vegas player got there.
The Knights only registered five shots on net in the first period and eight in the second, in what was their third game in four days, all on the road. They lost in a shootout Saturday at the
.
Jonatan Berggren reappears
Jonatan Berggren was reinserted into the lineup after being a healthy scratch the previous three games, which coach Todd McLellan last week attributed to teammates “stealing” some of the ice time that used to be Berggren’s. The knock on Berggren, a second-round pick from 2018, has been his defense, but he came into Sunday with 10 goals in 61 games, not shabby considering he averages less than 13 minutes per game. He started the game on a line with J.T. Compher and Vladimir Tarasenko. Berggren’s return bumped Dominik Shine.
Albert Johansson breaks scoreless game
The Wings had a 16-8 edge in shots when they finally broke Ilya Samsonov at 7:58 of the second period. Berggren had the puck as he entered Vegas’ zone, backtracking to the blue line and sending a pass to Compher along the boards. Compher dropped a pass for Vladimir Tarasenko, who found Johansson streaking down the right flank. Johansson faked out goalie Ilya Samsonov and carried the puck behind him, tucking it into an open net for his second goal of the season.
Third period puts it in the bag
Raymond scored at 4:51 of the third period when he got the puck from Elmer Söderblom and held on even while splitting a couple Vegas defenders, turning the play into Raymond’s 23rd goal of the season. Kasper delivered another blow when he showed his tenacity in going to the net, putting him in perfect position to tip Erik Gustafsson’s shot on net.
Contact Helene St. James at
[email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
