Detroit Red Wings make a statement vs. Senators in fourth straight win

The Detroit Red Wings came into Ottawa’s barn looking to change the narrative. The last few times the two teams had squared off, it led to tough results for Detroit. It was often a lot of Ottawa pushing around Detroit.

This time, the Detroit Red Wings were looking to change the narrative. Things may not have started that way, but Detroit got things working for them. While it took some time, Detroit was able to get their legs under them and execute the way they should, avoiding being pushed around.

While Klim Kostin was not in the lineup on Saturday, Detroit was still able to play physically and at least keep themselves protected when Ottawa put some pressure on them. The scoring chances were a bit lopsided, favoring Ottawa, but Detroit was able to get it done when it counted most.

The Red Wings are off to a red-hot start in 2023-24, and they are continuing to get the job done. Even against a tough opponent and a brewing rival, the Red Wings showed up looking to battle. They made a statement against Ottawa, extending the win streak to four in a row.

They were powered by a two-goal performance from Joe Veleno and a stellar performance from the power play once again.

Detroit Red Wings make a statement vs. Senators in a 5-2 win.

1st Period

It was a slow start for Detroit. The game was a bit slow and had a bit of a lull to it. It felt like the Detroit Red Wings were playing like this was 2022-23, letting the Senators control things. It’s not that Ottawa had a ton of momentum, but they were undoubtedly controlling the game.

Ottawa had the momentum early, and while the ice tilt was not major, it favored the Senators. A roughing penalty to Joe Veleno proved to be problematic. The Senators were peppering Ville Husso, and after a couple of really excellent saves, the Senators were able to find the twine.

Jake Sanderson was working the zone from up top, and he caught a nice feed from the boards, letting a quick shot go with a quality release. The shot beat Husso glove-side, heading right into the back of the net to give the Senators an early lead.

Detroit was able to battle back into this one. The momentum seemingly shifted back to Detroit by the end. It may have only been two minutes or so, but Detroit grabbed ahold of the game late in the first.

After a roughing penalty to Ottawa for a hard hit on Alex DeBrincat, Detroit was able to convert. Dylan Larkin won a draw on the power play, and the team’s top power play unit could keep getting it done.

They controlled it off the draw, cycled it around, and it was Larkin who was carrying the puck below the goal line, drawing the attention. He fed a pass out front to Shayne Gostisbehere, who was able to fire it into the back of the net for the goal, tying things up at one.

Detroit held the momentum until the end of the first after the game-tying goal. Though, the shots on goal totals were not pretty. Detroit was outshot 14-3, with Ottawa peppering Husso early.

2nd Period

The second period was a lot of goaltending. While Detroit found the back of the net twice, this game could be blown wide open by Detroit if it were not for the play of Joonas Korpisalo. He did a great job making some tough saves.

On the other end of the ice, Husso has also made some good saves. Husso’s play has kept Detroit ahead in this game, fending off Ottawa, including some of the chances for the Senators with a man advantage.

Joe Veleno scored first in the second period, giving Detroit the lead. Christian Fischer did an outstanding job with a beautiful setup. Rasmussen got involved down low, and Fischer got to the puck down low beneath the goal line. He made a no-look drop pass to Veleno, who was able to bang it home off of Korpisalo’s hip.

That’s not all, though. The league’s best power play continues to perform at an exceptional clip. They’re around 50% with their conversion rate and were able to get it done with some high-level scoring chances. David Perron buried one on the power play to extend the lead even further.

Once again, it was Larkin making a big-time play to set things up. He was working the puck below the goal line and was able to corral it to set up Perron out in front. It got the job done, even if it was not the prettiest feed. Perron wrestled the puck out from his skates and got the blade of the stick on it, being able to beat Korpisalo for the goal.

Things got chippy. The two teams were getting a little feisty after the whistle. It seemed like the doing of Brady Tkachuk, who was trying to energize his team, but nothing came of it in the second. The Red Wings got another late power play at the end of the second that bled into the start of the third period.

3rd Period

Talk about getting things done early… The Detroit Red Wings made the most of their abbreviated power-play in the early goings of the third period. It was Larkin who added to his already successful day. The Red Wings captain caught a pass in front of the net and fired it home to beat Korpisalo.

Once again, the power play comes through for Detroit. They continued to get the job done; that top unit has everything working for them right now. The goal by Larkin seemed to suck the remaining life from Ottawa.

If that was not enough, Veleno was able to grab his second goal of the game to extend the Detroit lead further. Daniel Sprong was speeding down the boards, and as he got down low, he sent one across the ice and across the crease to Veleno. It was a real tough angle, but he found Veleno out front, who beat Korpisalo high for the goal.

Ottawa was able to muster up some late life around the midway point in the third period. Senators forward Ridly Greig got in tight on Husso and fired one that caught him in the equipment near his shoulder/chest area. It caught a tough bounce that flipped over the shoulder of Husso and trickled across the paint into the net for a goal.

After that, Detroit was able to fend off Ottawa and glide to victory. They wrapped up a 5-2 win over Ottawa and extended their win streak to four in the early going of this season. They head back to Detroit with a turn-and-burn match-up against Calgary tomorrow.