The Detroit Red Wings will look to end an already-fruitful trip to California on a high note when they face the host Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Detroit collected four points in the standings with a 5-3 win against San Jose and a 4-3 shootout victory vs. Los Angeles. The meeting with the Ducks completes the three-game swing.
The Red Wings won only three of their final 13 games of December.
“It’s huge, given the stretch we’ve been on here in the last month,” Detroit goaltender Alex Lyon said. “We showed some great resilience last game (against the Sharks) and showed more resilience (in Los Angeles). These are the moments in a season you need in order to gain some momentum and kind of right the ship.”
The game against the Kings got off to an ominous start, as the Red Wings quickly fell behind 2-0 to the team allowing the fewest goals in the league. Detroit rallied to take a 3-2 lead, getting a pair of goals from Robby Fabbri before Los Angeles knotted the score with 4:17 remaining in regulation.
Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane scored during the shootout, while the Kings couldn’t get the puck past Lyon in two attempts.
“With the stretch we’ve been on, it definitely feels good, a game like that,” said Fabbri, who hadn’t scored in his previous 10 games. “When you have to grind it out, over 60 minutes and overtime and the shootout, it took everything and it’s a good feeling. That’s a good team and a tough building to come into, so we’re real happy with that road performance.”
Lyon began the season as the No. 3 goalie. With Ville Husso sidelined by a lower-body injury, Lyon has surpassed James Reimer in the pecking order.
“He has such a compete about him,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said of Lyon. “The guys love playing for him and they want to give back, too, because he’s always battling.”
The Ducks notched a victory in Detroit last month, taking a four-goal lead and hanging on for a 4-3 triumph. They’ll carry a four-game losing streak into Sunday’s contest.
Anaheim’s offense has been punchless during that rut, producing just four goals. The Ducks lost at home to Winnipeg, 3-1, on Friday.
Anaheim will finish off an eight-game homestand on Sunday with a six-game road trip over the next two weeks looming. The Ducks have only one regulation victory to show for the homestand.
“I already talked to (the team) about it,” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. “We have to try and win Sunday. The home games, obviously our crowds have been impressive. People show up every game, want to see wins and want to drive home feeling good about themselves.”
Cronin felt his team played well enough to win against the Jets.
“I thought we played a real solid game,” he said. “It’s one of the better games we’ve played in the last four weeks.”
The Ducks rank in the bottom five in scoring in the NHL. Frank Vatrano leads Anaheim with 28 points (18 goals, 10 assists) and has delivered two of the four goals the Ducks have scored during their current skid.
–Field Level Media
