RECAP: Red Wings ‘found a way to stick with an ugly night,’ get first-ever win in Utah, 5-1

SALT LAKE CITY -- It was easy to spot all the fans who were proudly wearing red and white at Delta Center on Monday night, and it was even easier to hear their cheers when the final horn sounded on the Detroit Red Wings’ 5-1 victory over the Utah Hockey Club.

“We just fought, and I think that’s the mentality that we have as a team right now,” said Red Wings goalie Alex Lyon, who made 16 saves after replacing injured starter Petr Mrazek. “We’ve just got to fight and see what happens, scratch and claw, and just see where it takes us. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Detroit (33-31-6; 72 points) recorded just 14 shots on goal against Utah (32-28-11; 75 points) but halted its two-game skid, in the process pulling within three points Montreal Canadiens, who were idle on Monday and have one game in hand, for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot.

“I thought it was ugly from both sides,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “The conditions were pretty rough – slushy, snowy, puck bouncing all over the place. There were times in the game where I thought that hurt us and helped us. They couldn’t connect on some plays as well, but we found a way to stick with an ugly night.”

Just 1:38 into the first period, Mrazek exited and didn’t return after colliding with Dylan Guenther on a breakaway attempt.

“He won’t be available for us the rest of this trip, obviously,” McLellan said about Mrazek, who made one save before sustaining the undisclosed injury. “We’ve only got one game tomorrow, and he wasn’t scheduled to play. So, when we get back to Detroit, he’ll get evaluated.”

A little more than two minutes later, Guenther got Utah on the board first when he one-timed a pass from captain Clayton Keller for a power-play goal to make it 1-0 at 3:46.

Elmer Soderblom, who didn’t play against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday due to an undisclosed injury, tied it 1-1 for Detroit at 5:08 of the first period. After skating up the ice, Vladimir Tarasenko was just below the blue line when he chipped the puck to the 6-foot-8, 246-pound forward, who snapped one past Utah netminder Karel Vejmelka (nine saves) for his fourth goal of the season.

“It was nice to see J.T. [Compher] and [Tarasenko] have an impact on the game,” McLellan said. “I’m sure Elmer helped them out a lot.”

The Red Wings turned their third shot of the night into a 2-1 advantage at 1:34 of the second period. Marco Kasper was credited with the goal after he hit a puck in off Lawson Crouse’s leg. The primary assist on Kasper’s 14th goal of the season went to Alex DeBrincat, who recorded his 500th career NHL point, and the secondary helper went to Simon Edvinsson.

Crouse and Jack McBain both had chances up close just a few minutes later, but Lyon didn’t let either get by him to keep Detroit’s 2-1 lead intact. That score was unchanged through 40 minutes of action.

“He was outstanding, especially early coming in there,” Austin Watson said about Lyon. “Couple power plays, he made a couple really big saves that kind of help set the tone for us. He was huge for us, so all the credit to him.”

Adding a big insurance goal for the Red Wings, Watson deflected the puck off a shot from Edvinsson and it skied up and in over Vejmelka to make it 3-1 at 9:51 of the third period. It was Watson’s first goal with Detroit, which re-signed the Ann Arbor, Mich., native to a one-year, two-way contract extension on March 5.

“That feels really good,” Watson said about his goal. “Being a Michigan kid and scoring for the Red Wings is pretty special, but just this year in general. Being down in Grand Rapids for the majority of the year and kind of grinding away my turn…to be here at this time of the year battling with these guys and get rewarded like that, it definitely feels good.”

The Red Wings tacked on two more goals – first into an emtpy net by DeBrincat at 17:08 and one at even strength by Tyler Motte at 18:32 – before the end of the third period for the 5-1 final. Patrick Kane earned the lone assist on DeBrincat’s team-leading 33rd goal of the season, while Motte’s third tally of the campaign was set up by Craig Smith.

Detroit’s penalty kill also made a big difference on Monday night, going 4-for-5.

“They can really zip it around, but I thought we did a great job of tightening up,” Lyon said. “It’s a very dangerous power play, a lot of skilled players. Something to build on.”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will conclude their back-to-back road set with a battle against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Tuesday night.

POSTGAME QUOTES

McLellan on what Watson brings to the Red Wings

“Your leadership from your bottom six is a little different than your leadership from your top six. He’s been in that situation his whole career, so he understands how to provide it. He’s big. He’s heavy.”

Lyon on being quickly called into action against Utah

“I’m just staying ready every day. When you stay ready, you don’t really have to get ready, so that’s my mindset.”

Lyon on his assessment of Monday’s game

“I thought it was a really tight game. I think everybody was having some trouble handling pucks tonight. Just one of those games, but obviously they’re fighting for their lives and we’re fighting for our lives. Those two things colliding creates some urgency.”

Watson on what he saw before he scored

“It was actually good pressure by [Smith] and me on the face-off. Simon held it in and shot it to the net. I just tried to get a little stick on it. You never know what happens. You throw pucks to the net and you get rewarded with a greasy one.”