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Red Wings complete home sweep, rally past Kings

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News on

Published in Hockey

DETROIT — This was an impressive victory, and one part of an impressive homestand.

The Red Wings completed a three-game homestand Monday with a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Second-period goals from Alex DeBrincat (power play) and Elmer Soderblom erased a 2-1 Kings lead and Marco Kasper provided insurance with a dazzling third-period goal and an empty-net goal to lift the Wings.

Goaltender Cam Talbot started his third consecutive game on his homestand and earned his third straight victory — and earned his eighth victory in his last nine decisions (8-1-0) — stopping 23 shots.

Lucas Raymond opened the Wings' scoring in the first period and had three assists for a huge offensive evening.

The Wings (24-21-5) moved to within two points (55-53) of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, with two teams ahead of the Wings before that second wild-card position.

Kasper was on a 2-on-1 rush and took the shot, stopped by goaltender Darcy Kuemper, but dove and put back the rebound, his eighth goal at 10 minutes, five seconds of the third period, giving the Wings a 4-2 lead.

Kasper then added his ninth goal (seventh in the last 10 games) with an empty-net goal with 6 seconds left.

DeBrincat scored his 21st goal, snapping a one-timer off a pass from Raymond, tying the game 2-2. Then Soderblom, in his fourth NHL game this season, pounced on a rebound just outside of the crease, knocking the puck past Kuemper at 16:53.

Coach Todd McLellan was asked after Monday's morning skate what he's learned about the Wings in his month since replacing Derek Lalonde behind the bench. McLellan has been impressed.

"When you roll out here (once a season as a coach in the West, you plan for it and move on, so I didn't know much about Detroit as I do know," McLellan said. "The youth that is here and is coming, but it's a bright future. Patience is going to have to be part of it, so they can continue to develop, and then there's some real good veterans that provide leadership.

"They don't have the Stanley Cups that (Kings' veterans) Drew (Doughty) and Kopi (Anze Kopitar) have but there aren't many in the league that do.

 

"We have some real good leaders. I like the group."

The Kings jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the first period.

Kevin Fiala gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 14:50, his 16th goal. Fiala ripped a shot from the high slot that Talbot may not have had a clear look on with bodies in front.

The Kings made it 2-0, on a goal credited to Quinton Byfield (his 11th goal), but was actually put in by Moritz Seider.

Off the faceoff, the puck went back to Seider who couldn't control the bouncing puck and bounced it off Talbot and into the back of the net at 17:05.

But Raymond quickly got that one back 35 seconds later. Kuemper stopped an initial shot by Kasper, but the puck squirted to the hashmark where Raymond flipped in his 20th goal.

This was McLellan's first game coaching against the Kings, who fired McLellan almost exactly a year ago.

"It is, it certainly is," said McLellan, on whether it was a strange experience. "But I've had enough experience already (being with three previous teams). Usually it's not a good thing, but it's odd because it's like you got sent to another family and you look over at some of your, for lack of a better word kids, but the players you were mentoring, they're in a different color.

"But that's why it's called sport and being competitive and they want to win as hard as we want to win."

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