RECAP: Red Wings open 2022-23 preseason with 6-2 victory over Penguins

PITTSBURGH -- The Derek Lalonde era is officially underway for the Detroit Red Wings, who opened their 2022-23 preseason schedule with a 6-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena.

Dominik Kubalik scored twice - once on the power play, once shorthanded - while Filip Zadina, Elmer Soderblom, Steven Kampfer and Tyler Spezia all found the back of the net for the Red Wings, who jumped out to a 2-1 lead early in the second period and never looked back.
Special teams were key to the victory, as Detroit's power play was a perfect 2-for-2 while its penalty kill was an impressive 9-for-9.
Goalies Victor Brattstrom, who made the start, and Sebastian Cossa combined to make 31 saves against the Penguins.
NEXT UP: The Red Wings will play their second preseason game Wednesday night, hosting the Chicago Blackhawks for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop at Little Caesars Arena.

SCORING SUMMARY

Pittsburgh 1, Detroit 0 (1:42, 1st period)
Pittsburgh opened the scoring when Marcus Pettersson retrieved the puck from along the boards and sent it to Brock McGinn in the slot, whose shot beat Brattstrom to give his club an early lead.
Detroit 1, Pittsburgh 1 (15:42, 1st period)
Kubalik, assisted by Filip Hronek and Michael Rasmussen, ripped a one-timer from the top of the right faceoff circle past Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry for the equalizer on the man advantage.

Detroit 2, Pittsburgh 1 (00:23, 2nd period)
After taking a pass from Rasmussen, Zadina converted a one-timer to give Detroit its first lead of the night.

Detroit 3, Pittsburgh 1 (5:01, 2nd period)
Jonatan Berggren's pass from just above the goal line went to Soderblom back post, who scored to extend the Red Wings' lead. Austin Czarnik also picked up an assist on the goal.

Detroit 4, Pittsburgh 1 (6:55, 2nd period)
After receiving a pass from Zadina just below the blue line, Kampfer's shot beat a screened Jarry for Detroit's second power-play tally of the game.

Pittsburgh 2, Detroit 4 (13:16, 2nd period)
Bryan Rust roofed a backhander over Cossa to cut Pittsburgh's deficit to two.
Detroit 5, Pittsburgh 2 (2:34, 3rd period)
Spezia, assisted by Drew Worrad and Olli Maatta, sent a wrister from the slot past Penguins netminder Casey DeSmith to kick off the final frame.

Detroit 6, Pittsburgh 2 (10:20, 3rd period)
Kubalik capitalized on a Penguins turnover behind the net, grabbed the puck and scored a shorthanded goal for his second tally of the game, helping Lalonde secure his first preseason win behind the Detroit bench.

QUOTABLE

Lalonde on the win over Pittsburgh
"I'm really happy for the group. They did a lot of good things. They played the right way, blocked shots and showed a lot of second effort."

Lalonde on how the Red Wings responded after falling behind, 1-0, in the opening frame
"They responded good throughout. We talk about being process-oriented and not worrying about the score... We want good habits. We want to try to stay on top of them and for large parts of that game, I think we did that."
Lalonde on his post-game message
"You got what you deserve. Camp is a grind, and that day off is important tomorrow. Then, this group will be ready to practice and get better two days from now."
Kubalik on Detroit's overall effort on Tuesday
"We helped each other out and played together. Everything was clicking for us. We blocked shots and that winning attitude was there. For our first preseason game, an overall good game."