The Detroit Red Wings visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday riding a three-game winning streak but knowing their latest victory was a close shave.
The Red Wings, who sit atop the Atlantic Division, are coming off a wild 4-3 shootout victory over the host Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.
Detroit appeared to have the game in hand when it held a 3-1 lead with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, but the Kings scored a pair of goals 40 seconds apart — both with the goaltender pulled for the extra attacker — to force extra time. The Red Wings regrouped to claim the extra point.
“Obviously, we don’t want that to happen, but to battle through that, good (penalty kill) in overtime, and to win in a shootout is great,” said Detroit forward Alex DeBrincat, who scored in a third consecutive game and added an assist. “Two points is two points, and doesn’t matter how you get them.”
The Red Wings are also hoping the clash kick-started Marco Kasper. The 21-year-old forward, who netted 19 goals last season, snapped an eight-game goal drought with a two-goal outing at Los Angeles.
“He’s a competitive individual that has put some pressure on himself,” coach Todd McLellan said. “Maybe this will really get him going, but we’re counting on him, and we forget he’s like 20, 21 years old. You’d think he was 27 the way he played last year.”
The game will mark the return to Anaheim of goaltender John Gibson, who is pegged to get the start in net. Gibson spent 12 seasons as the No. 1 goaltender for the Ducks before he was traded to the Red Wings in the summer.
The Ducks return home after finishing a 3-1-1 road trip. Anaheim claimed a 3-2 shootout win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Tuesday to complete the trek.
It was not just that the Ducks claimed the victory over Florida that had everyone happy. It was how they did it.
Similar to the Red Wings’ Thursday victory, Anaheim surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period but recovered enough to earn the victory, even killing a Florida power play in overtime.
“We lost a tough one the other night and I liked our response,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said, referring to a 4-3 defeat against the Tampa Bay Lightning. “We hung in there, found a way to get the extra (point) there.”
The Ducks, who are kicking off a three-game homestand, appear to be a different team than the one Gibson was part of for the past few seasons. Having spent a handful of campaigns at or near the bottom of the league, Anaheim is looking to finish a strong October.
Anaheim has a 5-3-1 record in the early going, including an impressive 4-2-1 road mark. Leading the way on offense are Troy Terry, who has netted seven points (three goals, four assists) in a five-game point streak; Leo Carlsson, who is coming off a one-goal, one-assist performance; and Cutter Gauthier, who has a team-best six goals.
Collectively, the Ducks are gaining momentum.
“When we recap the road trip, I think we did a great job,” goaltender Lukas Dostal said. “We’ll keep moving forward. I felt (Tuesday) was our best game of the season.”
