Recap: Larkin, Red Wings upend Canadiens in OT, 3-2

DETROIT --Considering the degree of difficulty and in securing a significant milestone, Dylan Larkin definitely made his points count on Saturday night.
The Red Wings captain scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime, lifting Detroit to a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens in the extra session in front of a raucous crowd at Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings received another solid goaltending effort, with Alex Nedeljkovic making 35 saves for his fourth win of the season.
Larkin's game-winning goal marked the 300th career point in his young NHL career. Detroit (8-6-2; 18 points) ends its four game homestand with a 3-1 record. The Red Wings will now hit the road for four straight games, beginning with Monday's game at Columbus.

Both of Larkin's goals were from improbable angles, from the left side of the cage and along the goal line. The overtime tally was closer to the net, but both required firing the puck into a small window.

"The first one, I saw an opening. He was down and I saw the top of the net, and I just shot it," Larkin said. "We hadn't got much going, we hadn't really tested their goalies, and I saw an opening, and just fired it.
"The second one there, the lively board's there, and it popped right back out to me. I saw him off his net, so tapped it in."
Montreal got on the board first less than five minutes (15:21) into the game. Ryan Poehling received a pass in stride from Michael Pezzetta near the right faceoff dot, and threw a puck towards the net that found its way through Marc Staal's legs and past Nedeljkovic.
Detroit went on the power play twice in the opening period, while the Canadiens had one power play. Neither team scored with the man advantage through the opening 20 minutes.

The Canadiens took the 1-0 lead into the dressing room at the first intermission. Sam Montembeault replaced Jake Allen in goal for Montreal in the final seconds of the period after a preceding collision with Larkin, who was skating full speed toward the goal.
The Red Wings scored two goals in just 45 seconds of game time to claim a 2-1 lead early in the second period. Larkin got things started by lighting the lamp at 17:24. After receiving the puck from Filip Hronek, Larkin threw the puck towards the goal from two feet outside the goal line and near the boards. The shot bounced off Montembeault's shoulder and into the back of the net for Larkin's fifth goal of the season.
Pius Suter then gave the Red Wings the lead with 16:39 remaining in the frame, gathering a pass across the middle of the ice from Robby Fabbri. Suter ripped a left-handed shot toward the cage that found its way past Montembeault. It was Suter's fourth goal this season, and third in the past five games.

Montreal quickly tied the game, 2-2, with 17:27 remaining in the decisive third period. An initial odd man rush was denied by Nedeljkovic, but the puck remained in Montreal's offensive zone, and Chris Wideman was the beneficiary of a nifty pass from Artturi Lehkonen, who tallied the assist from his knees and behind the goal. Wideman's shot beat Nedeljkovic top shelf.
The scored remained deadlocked at 2-2 for the rest of the period, forcing the three-on-three extra session. It was Detroit's fifth overtime game of the season, and the second for Montreal.
Larkin ended the game with 1:41 remaining in overtime, capitalizing on a rush that began just shy of center ice. He fed a trailing Lucas Raymond in front of the goal, who missed the cage on an aggressive attempt. Larkin gathered the rebound left of the goal and behind the goal line, and lifted the puck past Montembeault.
Nedeljkovic faced nine shots in the first period, 13 in the second and 14 in the third frame. It marked his fifth game this season with 30 or more saves.
"I thought tonight was his (Nedeljkovic's) best game," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I thought the puck stuck to him a ton, and I think that's the huge key for goalies, especially if you're undersized at all, that the puck sticks to you. They hit him in a lot of different areas, and he was able to control all those rebounds.
"Montreal does a very good job of being hard at the net, so for him to do the job he did, in terms of controlling those rebounds, I thought was critical for us tonight."
Monday's puck drop from Nationwide Arena is set for 7 p.m. Detroit posted a 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Oct. 19 at Little Caesars Arena.