RECAP: Red Wings keep good vibes going in 5-2 win against Golden Knights

DETROIT -- Saturday was another feel-good night in what has been a feel-good sports city as of late, as captain Dylan Larkin scored twice to eclipse 200 career NHL goals in the Detroit Red Wings’ 5-2 win over the defending Stanley Cup-champion Vegas Golden Knights at Little Caesars Arena.

Goalie Alex Lyon made 28 saves to help the Red Wings (26-18-5; 57 points) improve to 9-2-1 this month. Netminder Logan Thompson finished with 24 saves for the Golden Knights (29-15-6; 64 points), who had their six-game point streak snapped.

“There’s a really good vibe around the group right now,” Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde said. “A little of that play for the guy next to you. High compete, doing the right things and we’re getting rewarded.”

Larkin remained red-hot on Saturday, finishing off a tic-tac-toe play with Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond at 5:04 of the first period for his 21st goal of the season and 200th of his NHL career to put Detroit ahead, 1-0. With the goal, Larkin also extended his point streak to 11 straight games.

“It’s huge,” Larkin said about hitting the 200-goal milestone. “Pretty honored to do it at home. It’s something you can have, look back and be proud of.”

Jake Walman doubled it to 2-0 at the seven-minute mark of the first period after he ripped a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle past Thompson off a drop pass from David Perron. Setting a new NHL career high, the goal was Walman’s 10th of the season. Moritz Seider had the secondary assist.

Ivan Barbashev cut Vegas’ deficit to 2-1 at 8:02 of the first period, locating a rebound off a point shot from Nicolas Roy and knocked it through Lyon’s pads while falling for his 13th goal of the season.

The Golden Knights' Paul Cotter, a Canton, Mich., native, deflected Alec Martinez’s shot from the blue line in front for his sixth goal of the season at 10:55 of the first period to even the score 2-2.

Reclaiming the lead for the Red Wings with 1:43 left in the opening frame, Joe Veleno snuck a shot underneath Thompson on the power play to make it 3-2. Seider and Robby Fabbri had the assists on Veleno’s ninth goal of the season.

Seider earned his 100th career NHL assist on Veleno's goal, becoming the third-fastest defenseman in Red Wings history to reach the 100-assist plateau behind Reed Larson (185 games) and Nicklas Lidstrom (194 games).

Lalonde said he felt Lyon bounced back after allowing two first-period goals.

“I didn’t like his first,” Lalonde said about Lyon. “I didn’t think he was sharp. I didn’t like either goal. And I’m sitting there like hey, maybe it’s caught up to him with how much we’ve played him. He was just a beast in the second and third.”

Detroit held a 23-21 shot advantage following a scoreless second period.

Andrew Copp extended it to 4-2 at 11:45 of the third period, netting a feed from Michael Rasmussen on a rush for his 10th goal of the season.

"I think the line has helped him," Lalonde said about Copp. "I think all three of them (Copp, Rasmussen and Christian Fischer) are committed to playing the right way. The goal was about them defending first and what they did defensively got them the odd-man rush."

Vegas pulled Thompson for an extra skater late with less than two minutes remaining in the game, and Larkin took advantage of the empty-net opportunity at 18:30 of the third period for his team-leading 22nd goal of the season. J.T. Compher and Raymond collected the assists on Larkin's goal, which capped the scoring (5-2) for both clubs. 

“This league is a lot about confidence and mentality,” Lyon said. “The second you start to think you’ve arrived is, like I say all the time, when things start going the other way.”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will conclude their pre-2024 NHL All-Star break schedule Wednesday night against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena.

QUOTABLE

Lalonde on the Detroit Lions

"There's no doubt our recent play and success has brought some energy to this building. You saw a little bit of it last year when we had some of these pushes. But I think where the Lions are at, it's a different energy."

Larkin on the Red Wings’ continued success this month

“It’s been a huge month. We’ve been playing to an identity. We’ve won games where we’ve shut the other teams down. We’ve won games in many different ways. I still feel we have to be better on the power play for sure, but it feels really good. We have a good thing going in our room. We have won more game before our break and it’s a big one.”

Larkin on if or how often they check the standings

“We do. It’s important that we do and we keep our foot on the gas. We can’t be satisfied with that. You see when things don’t go your way, like they did in December, but we bounced back. We’ve had tendencies to bounce back with this group this season and I’m excited. The break is going to be good for rest but the way we’re feeling right now, I’d love to just keep it going. There’s going to be challenges coming out of that.”

Lyon on what’s been key for him while managing an increased workload this season

“I like it. I think every young goalie learns how to play goalie to be a starter. I enjoy it. I said it maybe two weeks ago, but I feel more comfortable with the team. I think it is just continuing to grow. Like Larks said, we just have to continue to keep our foot on the gas. The break is going to test us a little mentally, but we just have to continue to stay sharp and on top of things because we do have a lot of hockey left.”