Oesterle lifts Red Wings past Ducks in OT

Jordan Oesterle ended a 61-game scoring drought at 2:11 of overtime to give the Detroit Red Wings a 2-1 victory against the Anaheim Ducks at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Monday.

Oesterle, who grew up in suburban Detroit, hadn't scored since Jan. 22, 2021, for the Arizona Coyotes in a 5-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights.
"It was a surreal moment," he said. "I didn't know when I'd get my first goal here or what it would be like, but it was special to have it be an overtime winner for the team I grew up cheering for, in front of my family and friends."
Dylan Larkin won a face-off to Oesterle, who scored from the high slot.
"We were trying to run a play for [Lucas Raymond], but they moved the forward over to that side of the ice," Oesterle said. "When the puck came my way, I backed up a little to see what [Raymond] was going to do, but I saw I could use (Ducks defenseman Cam) Fowler as a screen, so I took the shot."

Larkin had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings (20-20-6). Alex Nedeljkovic made 14 saves, two nights after Detroit allowed five third-period goals in a 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"We did a lot of good things in that game, but it is frustrating to give away a chance to win a game like that," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I was happy with the way we responded. We managed the puck well, which meant we didn't have to do as much defending."
John Gibson made 26 saves for Anaheim (23-16-9), which has earned a point in six straight games (4-0-2), including 3-0-2 on the road. The Ducks aren't scheduled to play again until after the All-Star break, when they host the Seattle Kraken on Feb. 11.
"Even though we gave up the extra point tonight, I think our guys should be really holding their heads high," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "That's a [heck] of a road trip, to go three time zones, play some good teams and battle it out and find a way to get points."
Eakins returned after missing five games in NHL COVID-19 protocol.
"I've never felt better," he said. "It was super frustrating, but I was very grateful I didn't have to go through what a lot of people have gone through. I had a stuffy nose."
Larkin gave Detroit a 1-0 lead at 19:22 of the first period, beating Kevin Shattenkirk to the outside and flipping the puck under the crossbar.

Rickard Rakell tied it 1-1 at 2:29 of the second period following a turnover by Oesterle. He has scored in two straight games after going 21 games without a goal.
"Our offense needs goals for everyone, so Rickard getting a couple makes him feel better about his game," Eakins said. "He never stopped working. He just needed a couple chances to go in, and now a couple have."
Detroit appeared to take a 2-1 lead at 16:11 of the third period when Filip Hronek deflected in the rebound of Larkin's shot with his skate blade. However, the goal was disallowed after a review determined Hronek had kicked the puck into the net.
In overtime, Tyler Bertuzzi forced a turnover but had his backhand attempt stopped by Gibson.
Moments later, Gibson thought he had started a 2-on-1 break with a gloved pass, but the whistle had blown. Larkin then won the ensuing face-off back to Oesterle for the winning goal.
NOTES: Red Wings defenseman Nick Leddy missed the third period with an upper-body injury. … The Red Wings tied the Colorado Avalanche for the NHL lead with three overtime goals from defensemen this season. Rookie Moritz Seider has the other two. … Oesterle was in the lineup because Danny DeKeyser missed the game after his wife gave birth to their third daughter. … The Ducks didn't have a power-play opportunity in the game. They had to kill one penalty and the teams spent two minutes playing 4-on-4. … The Ducks went 4-0-1 with Eakins in protocol. Assistants Geoff Ward and Mike Stothers filled in.