Red Wings Win 4-1: Smith Gets A Gordie Howe Hat Trick

Before the Detroit Red Wings could even take the ice, fans were shocked to see that Anthony Mantha was not in the lineup. For a team that has struggled to score goals, having Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi out did not look a good omen. Shockingly, it turns out Mantha was a healthy scratch per Helene St. James:

Thankfully, Marc Stahl and Givani Smith had other plans.

Secondary scoring finally happened for the Red Wings as Staal buried a rebound from a Troy Stecher shot while  Smith was rewarded for one of many hard working shifts as Detroit.

All aboard the Smith hype train. He has that same spirit as  Bertuzzi–just hard nosed, gritty pretty hockey. He caused that turnover and was rewarded for it. After a season that started like this, you just have to love something like that. It was Smith and Stecher driving the play again on the Wings’ third goal courtesy of Robby Fabbri.

And then, just to put an exclamation on the game, Smith got the better of Aaron Ekblad in a fight and recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick.

It is inexcusable for him to not be in the lineup from this point forward.

Vladislav Namestnikov iced it with an empty net goal and the Red Wings finally ended their eight game slide.

A few more things:

• Luke Glendening was knocked out of the game earlier after a vicious head hit from Radko Gudas. No penalty was called on the play.
• This was the most complete game the Red Wings played all year. The ice tilted in the second period after the Smith goal. Though Florida got one in the third, the Red Wings still carried the play and won the puck battles in all three zones. There was a frantic sequence of chances
• Thomas Greiss FINALLY gets a win, snapping the long streak of Red Wing goalies not named Jonathan Bernier winning between the pipes.

The Red Wings take on Florida again Tuesday.