Red Wings Edge Devils in Tight Divisional Tilt

[RedWings]

Detroit, MI – The Detroit Red Wings bounced back from a road tie in Montreal to secure a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in a hard-fought divisional matchup. The win marked the second time these two teams have met this season, with plenty more heated contests expected.

The first period was a gritty, scoreless affair, characterized by physical play and timely saves from both goaltenders. Penalties were a factor early, with Ian Cole of the Devils receiving a double minor for elbowing and Brenden Dillon of the Red Wings being whistled for charging. Neither team could capitalize on their power-play opportunities, setting the stage for a tense second period.

The deadlock was finally broken at 03:07 of the second period when the Devils' Adam Erne scored his 5th goal of the season, assisted by James Van Riemsdyk and Josh Brown, giving New Jersey the 1-0 lead. The Red Wings responded late in the period, as Anthony Duclair netted his 8th of the year at 15:42, with assists from Vincent Trocheck and Jamie Oleksiak, evening the score at 1-1. The period also saw T. Chabot (NJ) called for boarding and C. Clifton (NJ) for elbowing. In a concerning moment for the Red Wings, Dylan Larkin left the game at 15:55 of the second period due to injury.

The Red Wings wasted no time taking the lead in the third period. Just 1:25 in, Brandon Duhaime scored his 4th goal of the season, assisted by Marco Scandella, putting Detroit up 2-1. The Red Wings then hunkered down, with Alexandar Georgiev shutting the door for the remainder of the game. Marco Scandella (DET) was assessed an elbowing minor midway through the final frame, but the Red Wings penalty kill stood tall.

Red Wings goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was a standout performer, stopping 22 of 23 shots faced, earning the win and improving his record to 18-18-5. For the Devils, Joel Hofer made 14 saves on 16 shots, taking the loss and moving to 16-10-1 on the season. Neither team was able to convert on their power play chances, with the Devils going 0 for 2 and the Red Wings 0 for 3.

The game's three stars were all Red Wings: Alexandar Georgiev (1st star) for his stellar goaltending, Brandon Duhaime (2nd star) for scoring the game-winning goal, and Anthony Duclair (3rd star) for his tying goal.

The attendance for the home game was 18,765. The Red Wings will look to carry this momentum forward, while the Devils will aim for redemption in their next encounter.