Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar hit the post at 18:30 of the second period with Detroit on the power play.
The Red Wings struggled to create chances in the third period, getting two shots on goal through 17:59.
Larsson took a tripping penalty with 2:56 remaining, and the Red Wings pulled Howard with 2:12 left for the extra attacker.
Lehner stopped Frans Nielsen's shot off a face-off, but the rebound trickled through his legs to Abdelkader, who knocked it in for the tying goal on Detroit's fourth shot of the power play, sixth of the period.
"It was a 6-on-4, so they were trying to tie everything up, but the puck came clean to [Nielsen] all alone in front," Abdelkader said. "He took the shot and I was just looking for a loose puck."