RECAP: Four-goal second period, Larkin’s two-goal night help Red Wings earn ‘good win’ over Kings, 5-3

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings utilized a four-goal second period and captain Dylan Larkin’s two-goal night to defeat the Los Angeles Kings, 5-3, at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.

Goalie Alex Lyon denied 33-of-36 shots in the victory for Detroit (21-16-5; 47 points), which pushed its point streak to five consecutive games and swept the season series against Los Angeles (20-11-8; 48 points) for the first time since 2013-14. Kings netminder Cam Talbot was pulled after yielding five goals on 27 shots through two periods, while David Rittich made three saves in relief.

“It’s a good win,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. “It’s a good team. That team is not only going to be a playoff team, but I think they’re going to be someone to be reckoned with in the playoffs. And for us to sweep them in a week is good on our group.”

Larkin gave Detroit an early 1-0 lead with his first goal of the night at 2:44 of the opening frame. David Perron forced Los Angeles’ Mikey Anderson into a turnover inside the left faceoff circle and passed the puck off the wall to Larkin, who skated to the goal line before sending a shot into the top corner from a tough angle for his 15th goal of the season.

Snapping the Red Wings’ impressive 10-game penalty-kill streak that began on Dec. 20 against the Winnipeg Jets, Quinton Byfield one-timed a pass from Kings captain Anze Kopitar in the slot for a power-play goal at 6:58 of the first period to tie the game at 1-1.

On a 5-on-3 advantage just before (9:17) the halfway mark of the second period, Larkin lit the lamp again to push the Red Wings back in front, 2-1. After Larkin won a draw inside the left faceoff circle, Shayne Gostisbehere passed the puck to Patrick Kane on the edge of the opposite circle. Kane’s shot was blocked by Talbot, but Larkin finished the rebound for his 16th goal of the season.

Robby Fabbri made it 3-1 at 16:22 of the second period when he put a rebound into a wide-open net after crashing to the right post. Daniel Sprong and Joe Veleno picked up assists on Fabbri’s 12th goal of the season.

“You love that one where it started with some proper positioning and arrival in the D-zone into transition,” Lalonde said about Fabbri’s goal.

Thirty-one seconds later, Los Angeles’ Phillip Danault had a goal overturned after video review determined there was goaltender interference.

“That was a huge moment,” Lalonde said. “It would have been 4-2 and they’d have a power play, but (Red Wings video coordinator LJ Scarpace and assistant video coordinator Jeff Weintraub) got it right.”

Padding Detroit’s lead even further at 17:26 of the second period, Kane notched his seventh goal of the season after he skated in on a breakaway before deking around Talbot. Alex DeBrincat and Jeff Petry were awarded assists on the play, which made it 4-1.

With 13 seconds remaining in the middle frame, Andrew Copp scored his seventh goal of the season when he redirected Christian Fischer's shot into the back of the net to give the Red Wings a 5-1 advantage. Petry recorded the secondary assist on the goal, which was also Copp's second in as many games.

The Kings made an early third-period push, scoring two power-play goals in a span of 2:29 to get back within 5-3, but were unable to get anything else past Lyon the rest of the way.

“They’ve been great on the road this year, so to come out and get off to that good of a start through two periods was absolutely ideal,” said Kane, who recorded his 332nd career multi-point game to tie Jeremy Roenick for the second-most by an American-born player in NHL history. “Everyone was ready to play tonight. We’ve been trending in the right direction, so it’s nice to get rewarded for it here.”

Lalonde said Jake Walman, who did not play against Los Angeles because of illness, is not expected to be available on Sunday.

NEXT UP: Detroit will battle the rival Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night to conclude a weekend back-to-back set.

QUOTABLE

Lalonde on the Kings’ late comeback attempt

“Power plays fueled them. I thought our first penalty was a little unlucky. Our guy got pushed into the net on the goalie. It’s fine. Our second penalty was undisciplined. Not only do they get two on the power play, now they got life. We have to manage. It’s all directed towards those two penalties and (the Kings) scoring on them.”

Kane on how the Red Wings held strong in the final frame

“We played an even 5-on-5. They got a couple power-play goals. They have some good players who can make plays. I still think we can do a better job of playing on the attack, with the puck a little bit more and keeping the puck. It’s tough when their D are pinching, are in the zone and trying to create pressure. Sometimes you just have to make the smart play. Played even with them 5-on-5, which I think is fine.”

Larkin on Lyon’s confidence

“He’s been great for us. You saw it tonight; it didn’t go his way in the third and he reset. Made some huge saves towards the end after he let the two in. He looked more like himself there after. He’s been rock solid for us. Not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow, but whoever’s playing we’re going to need him. That’s been the mentality of our goalie trio this season.”