Danault scores twice, Kings defeat Red Wings to push point streak to six

Phillip Danault scored twice to help the Los Angeles Kings to a 5-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday.

"This was just a heck of an effort tonight," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "Our guys decided this was an important game and we played all 60 minutes like it was."
Austin Strand
had two assists, and Jonathan Quick made 22 saves for Los Angeles (24-16-7), which was 4-0-2 on a six-game road trip.
"This is huge, especially going into the [All-Star] break," Danault said. "We wanted to finish on the right note, and I thought we were awesome again tonight."
Tyler Bertuzzi scored his NHL career-high 22nd goal for Detroit (20-21-6). Alex Nedeljkovic made 40 saves.
"I didn't think our battle level was nearly good enough tonight," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "Our battle and compete levels have been really good for most of the year, but they worked harder than we did tonight."

Michael Rasmussen gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 17:05 of the first period, knocking in a rebound after Filip Zadina's shot.
The Kings outshot Detroit 35-13 in the first two periods.
"[Nedeljkovic] was the only reason we even had a chance to win this game," Red Wings defenseman Marc Staal said. "He played an exceptional game just to keep us close."
Danault tied it 1-1 at 12:47 of the second period, putting in a loose puck after Strand's shot deflected off Nedeljkovic's shoulder.
The Kings took a 2-1 lead at 18:11. Arthur Kaliyev's initial tip of Strand's shot beat Nedeljkovic but stopped on the goal line. Kaliyev then swiped at the loose puck, knocking it in on his second attempt.
"[Strand] has a great shot and he used it at the right times tonight," McLellan said. "He got it through to the net, which means anything can happen."
Bertuzzi tied it 2-2 at 8:39 of the third period, tipping in Gustav Lindstrom's shot.

Danault gave Los Angeles a 2-1 lead at 12:12 with his second of the game, putting in Trevor Moore's pass to finish off a 2-on-1.
Danault had two chances to get a hat trick, but Nedeljkovic stopped him on another 2-on-1, and he hit the post after the Red Wings pulled the goalie.
"I almost got it, but I guess it wasn't meant to be," Danault said. "It's just iconic to get one."
Viktor Arvidsson made it 4-2 with an empty-net goal at 18:33.
Joe Veleno pulled the Red Wings within 4-3 at 19:13. Adrian Kempe scored another empty-net goal at 19:50.
NOTES: Forward Gemel Smith made his Red Wings debut after being claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 19. Smith, who had an assist and a blocked shot in 5:53, replaced his younger brother Givani Smith in the lineup. The brothers have never played organized hockey together. … Strand had his first multipoint NHL game. He came into Wednesday with one assist in 16 NHL games.