The Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames squared off in a Thanksgiving-Eve game in Detroit. A defensive and goaltending battle between the two teams ended in a 2-1 overtime win for the Red Wings. In the victory, the Red Wings moved to 10-10-2, while the Flames fell to 12-7-4.
Game Recap
The first 20 minutes put the Flames’ penalty kill to the test three times (albeit the third one was an abbreviated kill thanks to four-on-four play). The Flames were able to keep the Red Wings power play in check twice, but Alex DeBrincat cashed in on a great pass from Michael Rasmussen with a one-time shot that beat Flames goaltender Dan Vladar for a 1-0 lead. The Red Wings gained momentum off the three power play opportunities, but Vladar stood tall in the period, stopping seven of the eight shots he faced.
The second period was more of the same, with a back-and-forth defensive game, with the Flames’ gritty play trying to create chances, but the Red Wing’s defensive play was strong throughout the game. The game would head to the third period in a 1-0 lead for the Red Wings.
The third period saw the Red Wings come out firing, getting a couple of early scoring opportunities on Vladar, but they were again turned away. Not to be outdone, Cam Talbot made a handful of solid saves to keep his team’s lead intact. After killing off the first three shorthanded situations in the game, the Red Wings penalty kill eventually caved with just under three minutes in the period. Connor Zary benefited from traffic in front of Talbot to tie the game at one apiece. The teams ended up deadlocked after 60 minutes.
In overtime, Moritz Seider had a chance to end the game on a breakaway but sent his shot high. The Flames ended up with a penalty for too many men, which put the Red Wings on a four-on-three power play, where they would once again cash in with the game-winning goal off the stick of Lucas Raymond, with DeBrincat and Seider picking up the assists on the goal.
In the win, Talbot stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced, while Vladar finished with 25 saves on 27 shots. The two teams return to the ice on Nov. 29, with the Red Wings taking on the New Jersey Devils and the Flames heading to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets.
