Following a relatively even opening 20 minutes in which each team posted nine shots, the hosts took the lead seconds into the middle frame. Frans Nielsen kept a puck in at the point and found Dylan Larkin down the half wall, where the centerman quickly fed Tyler Bertuzzi in the slot for a one-timer that hit twine for a 1-0 Red Wings lead.
Detroit doubled the lead on the man advantage at the midpoint of the game as a scrum in the corner saw the puck squirt out to Gustav Lindstrom at the point, where he sent a pass across to Robby Fabbri for a one-time blast that deflected off a Dennis Gilbert diving block in front and past Crawford for a 2-0 lead at 10:05 of the second.
Late in the frame, Chicago found the scoresheet on a tic-tac-toe play that resulted in Kane's 31st of the season at the 18:55 mark. Jonathan Toews corraled the puck behind the net and found Brandon Saad in front, where the winger slid a pass across the top of the crease to Kane for a one-timer to pull within one, 2-1.
