Red Wings Hold Off the Jets For 2-1 Victory

The Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets squared off for a mid-week game at Little Caesars Arena on New Years Eve (Dec. 31). In a tightly contested game, the Red Wings held off a late-game push from the Jets to earn a 2-1 victory.

Game Recap

The Red Wings took an early lead in the first period when they took advantage of a power play opportunity. Dylan Larkin took a feed from Moritz Seider at the point and used traffic and screens out in front of Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to fire a wrist shot by him. The goal gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead just over seven minutes into the game. Former Jet Mason Appleton cashed in on a two-on-one with JT Compher to give the Red Wings a 2-0 lead that they held until the end of the opening period.

That score would hold through the entirety of the second period and almost ten minutes into the third before the Jets ended John Gibson’s bid for a shutout. A turnover by the Red Wings in their zone led to Logan Stanley jumping in from the point and throwing a shot Gibson’s way that he likely would like back, beating him low from a weird angle.

Stanley’s seventh goal of the season brought the Jets within one and seemed to give them the momentum for the rest of the third period. The Jets pressed hard on Gibson and the Red Wings’ defense, but could not crack through to even things up before the final buzzer went off. Giving the Red Wings a 2-1 victory.

In the win, Gibson stopped 24 of 25 shots, while Hellebuyck stopped 17 of 19 thrown his way for the Jets.

What’s Next

Both teams have a quick turnaround, as their matchup was the frontend of back-to-backs for both squads. The Red Wings, who improve to 24-14-3, travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins tomorrow, while the Jets fall to 15-19-4 and head to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs.