Red Wings coach Todd McLellan tinkered with his line combinations and got what he wanted in Ottawa on Monday. The team got goals from five different players in a 5-3 victory over the Senators.
Detroit will look to build off that performance when it hosts Vancouver on Thursday.
The Red Wings’ first line had two changes, with only center and team captain Dylan Larkin remaining in place. He was joined by Marco Kasper and Emmitt Finnie. Lucas Raymond, who had been on the first line, moved to the third line, joining center J.T. Compher and wing James van Riemsdyk. The fourth line also had some alterations.
Raymond scored only his second goal in the last 16 games, while van Riemsdyk had a three-point night. Larkin scored on a power play.
“Part of the task we gave them was when we broke that Larkin line, it was simply because they hadn’t scored in a while 5-on-5,” McLellan said. “Razor (Raymond) was one of them. For him to get that one, he used that shot, and he had one later I wish he would have shot it, he has such a good shot. But it has to make him feel a little better that he finally broke through.”
The Red Wings took a 3-0 lead during the first period, then held off the Senators’ rally.
“Anytime the coach kind of shuffles up lines like that, he’s trying to get the team’s attention, and he definitely did that,” van Riemsdyk said. “We came in with the right mindset as a team, and we had guys contributing all over the place. That’s what it takes to win these types of games.”
The Red Wings won their first matchup with Vancouver, a 4-0 road triumph Dec. 8 as John Gibson made 39 saves. Larkin and van Riemsdyk were among their goal scorers.
The Canucks have lost four straight. They fell behind by four goals to Buffalo on Tuesday, rallied to pull within a goal but ultimately fell 5-3.
“We weren’t ready to play and that’s on us,” said Jake DeBrusk, who scored one of the goals. “Demmer (goaltender Thatcher Demko) kept us in it and I like the fight we had in the third period, but there’s a fine line between winning and losing. Little plays can make the difference. We have to take the positives out of the third and just keep going.”
The Sabres built their lead on three even-strength goals and a short-handed tally by Ryan McLeod.
“We were alright for a bit and lost coverage on the first goal, and on the power play, you can’t give up a 2-on-1 like that,” Canucks coach Adam Foote said. “It seemed like it rattled us for longer than it usually does as a group. Usually, we bounce back quicker. We seemed to find a way to get some jump later in the game but just a little too late.”
Vancouver’s lone victory in the last seven games came in a shootout at Seattle on Dec. 29. The Canucks’ last regulation win occurred 10 nights earlier against the New York Islanders.
