RECAP: Red Wings will carry ‘a good feeling’ into the New Year after outlasting Penguins, 4-2

DETROIT -- Ending the 2024 calendar year and their four-game homestand on a winning note, the Detroit Red Wings downed the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-2, at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

“We just got to keep it going,” goalie Alex Lyon said. “Whether we’re going on the road or at home, we just got to continue to play a consistent brand of hockey. That’s obviously something we’ve maybe haven’t found as much as we would have liked this year, but there’s a good feeling right now. Like I said, we just have to continue to cultivate that.”

Lyon made 23 saves for the Red Wings (15-18-4; 34 points) in their second straight victory, which also was Todd McLallen’s 600th as an NHL head coach. Netminder Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 21 shots for the Penguins (17-17-5; 39 points).

“I haven’t even put a lot of thought into that,” McLellan said of reaching the 600-win milestone. “It was more for this group than it is about me. There’s so many happy and excited guys in there right now. Just the whole mood is a little bit different from when we started, and that means a lot more than 600. Some of those guys weren’t even alive when that started, so it doesn’t really matter to them.”

Getting the crowd at Little Caesars Arena on their feet just before the eight-minute mark of the first period, Vladimir Tarasenko threaded a pass through Pittsburgh defensemen Marcus Pettersson and P.O. Joseph to Jonatan Berggren at center ice and he scored on a breakaway to give Detroit a 1-0 lead at 7:52. J.T. Compher had the secondary assist.

“I forgot to change, so I was a little bit late,” Berggren said on how he scored his fifth goal of the season. “I’m glad he saw me coming there, so it was a little bit of luck. But of course, then Vlad made a really good pass.”

Drew O’Connor finished Cody Glass’ pass with a slapshot one-timer from the right face-off circle to tie it 1-1 at 18:27 of the first period. Both Eastern Conference clubs had seven shots on goal apiece in the opening frame.

On the Red Wings’ second power play of the night, Patrick Kane blasted in a wrist shot off the iron at 3:41 of the second period to reclaim the lead 2-1. The play began when Lucas Raymond got the puck off the boards to Alex DeBrincat in the left face-off circle and he fed Kane in the opposite circle. It was Kane’s seventh goal of the season and his second in as many contests.

Moritz Seider, during the waning seconds of the middle frame, made an incredible kick save on the goal line to stop Anthony Beauvillier from scoring while Lyon was out of the crease to keep Detroit’s one-goal lead.

“He saved a goal,” Lyon said. “Whenever players sell out like that and help me out, it’s just so appreciated. Mo does it all the time, but I thought all the guys were laying it on the line tonight and it showed.”

The Penguins got it to 2-2, thanks to a power play early in the third period, when O’Connor poked the puck in from up close for his second goal of the night just 3:18 into the frame.

But at 14:28 of the third period, the Red Wings responded with a power-play goal of their own to retake the lead 3-2. After Erik Gustafsson rang a shot off the crossbar, J.T. Compher stashed home the rebound for his fifth goal of the season. Berggren was credited with the secondary assist.

Snapping his goalless drought, captain Dylan Larkin sealed the victory with an empty-netter at 19:46 of the third period. Assisted by Lucas Raymond and Joe Veleno, Larkin pushed his season goal total to 13.

“We just can’t sit back too much,” Lyon said. “I think that’s the one trap that we could fall in. We got to enjoy it for maybe an hour here and then we got Columbus coming up. Every game is important.”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will open a two-game road trip when they square off against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday night.

POSTGAME QUOTES

McLellan on Tuesday’s start to the game

“We’ve kind of set an early standard for coming out of the gate. We’ve done it for two first periods now, so we wanted to do it for the third game. It was just verbal: establish it; let’s go. I thought we did a really good job and then around the 10-minute mark, we didn’t skate or forecheck and then all of a sudden, it’s coming back at us. For the most part, it was a good night.”

Lyon on if he’s seeing Detroit spend a lot less time in its own defensive zone

“I think we’re just playing a good brand of hockey. I don’t know if it’s any one specific thing, but we’re just kind of going in the right direction. Like Bergy said, Todd really stressed the start. After the second [period], he challenged us again to have another good start in the third and I think we responded both times.”

Lyon on the importance of holding opponents to under three goals

“There’s a process that it goes. Obviously, last game we scored four [goals]. That’s a huge advantage that doesn’t happen often, but getting the first one tonight was massive. If you can put one on the board first, it creates a huge advantage for you. That’s the recipe in this league – you got to score, then you got to be smart and play the game the right way.”

Berggren on his two-point night

“I want to play many minutes, so it’s always fun to play a lot of minutes. When you get more minutes, it’s more pressure on you. I kind of like it, so just need to keep going.”