Two former Western Conference foes squared off when the Vancouver Canucks traveled to Detroit to take on the Red Wings on Jan. 8. In a historic night for Patrick Kane, the Red Wings pulled off a 5-1 victory. With the win, the Red Wings move to 26-15-4 and the loss pushes the Canucks to 16-22-5.
Game Recap
The opening 20 minutes were quiet on the scoreboard until the final minute. Both teams had their crack at a power play throughout the period, with both coming up empty on their first opportunity of the night. The Red Wings did cash in with 28 seconds left in the period on a five-on-three situation. Patrick Kane tallied his 499th career goal, beating Kevin Lankinen from the dot on a shortside shot. The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead into the locker room after the opening period.
The second period was a bit more active in the goal-scoring department. The Red Wings extended their lead to 2-0, when rookie defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka scored in the slot off a pass from down low from James van Riemsdyk. The Canucks added a power play goal of their own to bring the game to 2-1 when Jake DeBrusk cashed in from the bumper spot and a pass from Keifer Sherwood from behind the net to beat Red Wings netminder, John Gibson. The one-goal lead for the Red Wings held up until JT Compher scored off yet another strong pass from van Riemsdyk, giving the Red Wings a 3-1 that they would hold going into the third period.
The third period was a goaltending battle, with neither team being able to break through on the scoreboard until the Canucks pulled Lankinen with around five minutes left in the game. Kane scored his second of the game, and #500 in his career to give the Red Wings a 4-1 lead. With his 500th goal, Kane became just the fifth American-born player to reach the milestone. Lucas Raymond added another goal after Lankinen returned in net and gave the Red Wings a 5-1 lead, in which the game would end at.
Gibson made 25 saves in the win for the Red Wings. In the loss, Lankinen stopped 20 of the 24 shots thrown his way.
Both teams are off until Saturday (Jan. 10), with the Red Wings heading to Montreal to take on the Canadiens and the Canucks taking on the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
