RECAP: Lyon shines again as Red Wings earn ‘greasy and gutty’ 1-0 shutout road win against Islanders

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Head coach Derek Lalonde acknowledged the Detroit Red Wings did not play their best game on Tuesday night, but he was pleased his club still found a way to pull out a 1-0 shutout win over the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.

The Red Wings (3-3-0; 6 points) got a 29-save night from goalie Alex Lyon but recorded just 11 shots on goal against the Islanders (2-2-2; 6 points), marking Detroit’s lowest total in a win since shots were tracked by the NHL in the 1959-60 season.

“That was greasy and gutty,” Lalonde said about Detroit’s third win of the season. “There’s going to be nights throughout your season that you’re not going to have your legs, and I knew early on we didn’t. I tried to manage it. I thought we at least managed the puck a little bit better.”

Patrick Kane put the Red Wings ahead 1-0 on their first shot on goal at 8:54 of the first period, one-timing Vladimir Tarasenko’s perfectly placed drop pass into the back of the net. J.T. Compher got the secondary assist on what proved to be the game’s lone tally.

“It feels good,” Kane said about scoring his first goal of the season. “I thought our line had some good communication in the first period. We had that chance obviously. I think we were playing pretty well together, so nice to get that one and get a lead. Obviously when you score that early, you don’t think it’s going to be the only goal of the game.”

Detroit’s penalty kill was put to the test in the second period and killed off both of New York’s man-advantage opportunities during the frame, keeping the score unchanged as both clubs headed into the second intermission. The Red Wings also fended off a penalty late in the third period, finishing the night a perfect 3-for-3 while down a man.

“The PK in the third [period] was our best one,” Lalonde said. “The first two were good. I thought the best player on our penalty kill in the second period was our goalie, but our third period was a momentum penalty kill where we didn’t give up anything. I think that bled into the goalie pull. I thought it was a big part of us winning the game.”

Despite being outshot in the final frame, 7-2, and with New York netminder Ilya Sorokin, who finished with nine saves, removed late for an extra skater, Detroit held on for its second shutout victory of the season.

“The team did a great job shutting things down in the third [period],” said Lyon, who recorded his first shutout of the campaign and the fourth of his NHL career. “That was huge. Just a big two points, and it wasn’t super pretty, but it’s just what you got to do.”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will look to keep the momentum going on home ice when they face the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Lalonde on Tuesday’s shutout win

“That’s a really good defensive effort. Maybe the lack of legs showed up on the offensive side of things, but it didn’t on the defensive side. Really loved our guys’ last period with the penalty kill and the goalie pull. That was probably our best hockey.”

Lalonde on if Detroit’s strong goaltending is sustainable

“I hope it is. Even that stretch when we started out 1-3, our overall game wasn’t bad. We’re a .750 team against the rest of the league, and we were unable to beat the Rangers. That’s just a small sample size. Again, things get a little magnified early on. You hope to get good goaltending.”

Lalonde on Lyon’s confidence level since the start of Training Camp

“You can tell when he’s on his toes and when he’s sharp. He has a confidence about him, and he had it tonight. It gives our group some confidence. Again, could we have done a little more in the third [period]? I think the guys felt he was on the top of his game.”

Kane on getting more offensively

“We need to push the pace offensively sometimes, you know? I think there’s a lot of focus on the defensive end, and that’s all good. But sometimes the best defense is playing offense, playing with the puck and in their end.”