Lyon makes 16 saves, Red Wings shut out slumping Devils

DETROIT -- Alex Lyon made 16 saves for the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-0 win against the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday.

Lyon was making just his second start this season (Nov. 17).

“There’s definitely a skill to be ready when you aren’t playing,” he said. “I’ve been in this role before, and I know you have to be ready for every opportunity. The guys played great in front of me, and it means everything that they have such confidence in me.”

Robby Fabbri had a goal and an assist, and Daniel Sprong had two assists for the Red Wings (9-6-3), who were playing for the first time since losing to the Ottawa Senators (5-4 in overtime) and Toronto Maple Leafs (3-2) at the 2023 NHL Global Series Sweden last week.

“Obviously, I’m thrilled with the way we played defensively, and Alex was great when we needed him,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “We had great energy coming home from a long road trip.”

Vitek Vanecek made 24 saves for the Devils (8-8-1), who have lost five of six and were shut out for the first time since April 24, 2022 (3-0 loss to the Red Wings).

“They wanted this a lot more than we did,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “They outskated us and outcompeted us. At the end of the night, we got exactly what we deserved.”

Lucas Raymond gave Detroit a 1-0 lead at 16:58 of the first period, scoring from the bottom of the left circle off a return pass from Fabbri on a 2-on-1.

Dylan Larkin scored 20 seconds later at 17:18 to make it 2-0. Following a turnover by New Jersey while trying to clear its zone, Larkin received a pass from Alex DeBrincat and slid a backhand five-hole on Vanecek from in front.

“I turned the puck over twice and they went down and scored both times,” Devils forward Tyler Toffoli said. “I’m very disappointed in myself and my game tonight. It definitely wasn’t good enough.”

Fabbri scored 52 seconds after Larkin to extend the lead to 3-0. He shot past a lunging Vanecek at 18:10 after Sprong's shot from the slot deflected off Jonas Siegenthaler to him in the right circle.

“We’ve been emphasizing our starts. We need to get some early goals and then close out the games,” Fabbri said. “Today we did that and played a full 60 minutes.”

Moritz Seider made it 4-0 with a power-play goal at 9:05 of the second period.

“We got the three goals in the first, which was important, but we also went out and won the second period,” Lalonde said. “After that, we were able to just let the third period play out.”

NOTES: The Devils were held to two shots on goal in the third. ... Detroit’s three goals in 1:12 were their fastest since they scored three in 46 seconds against the St. Louis Blues on March 14, 2009. … Lyon's shutout was his second in the NHL. ... Raymond has scored in four straight games.