Jake Walman walks it off on Saturday with an electric overtime winner

Note to self: Listen when an NHL purest like Mickey Redmond speaks. The wildly entertaining color commentator for the Detroit Red Wings has plenty of quirky sayings and plenty of on-air antics, which only adds to the viewing experience for Bally Sports Detroit. Redmond said early on during Saturday's broadcast that Detroit needs to be careful in their first game after a nine-day break. The Vancouver Canucks had two games under their belt heading into Little Caesars Arena for the matinee contest, and despite being down 1-0 after the first period, they were able to roar back with three unanswered second-period goals. But Detroit would have a run of their own coming.

There were two important milestones to mention as well. Saturday was David Perron's 1,100 career game, and Patrick Kane's 1,200th.

It seems odd to appear tired after some extended time off, but even though the Detroit Red Wings had a couple of good practices before Saturday's game, it isn't easy to emulate real game action. As the game wore on, Detroit started to find their legs scoring back-to-back goals (Rasmussen and Sprong) in the third period to draw even with the Western Conference-leading Canucks and eventually win in overtime thanks to a penalty shot goal from Jake Walman to win it 4-3.

Jake Walman walks it off for the Detroit Red Wings.

The Red Wings opening goal came from Lucas Raymond early on in the first period. The play was started deep in the Detroit zone with a nifty pass from Jeff Petry to Raymond. Raymond then sent David Perron a nice outlet feed, and as Perron was looking for a change, he gave the puck to Raymond, winding up to his left at center ice. Raymond flew in on his off wing, (the left side) and blew past Tyler Myers and deked goaltender Casey DeSmith for possibly Detroit's goal of the year.

Shortly after, Raymond took a check to the head from defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Zadorov was assessed a major penalty, which was upheld upon review. Just as that penalty was set to expire, former Detroit Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek hit Dylan Larkin with a high stick on a baseball-like swing for an airborne puck. The Red Wings were unable to capitalize on seven straight power play minutes.

Despite being in a 3-1 hole heading to the third period, the Detroit Red Wings found their legs and a way to battle back. Many factors always go into a comeback victory, but Alex DeBrincat dropped the gloves with Ian Cole late in the second period. Cole got the better of DeBrincat, but it's not always whether you win or lose the fight but a willingness to stand up for yourself and your teammates that can send a jolt of energy through the bench.

Things were fairly feisty throughout this game, but Detroit proved again that they won't back down. Michael Rasmussen was punched in the face after the whistle late in the third period and just smiled as Dakota Joshua tangled with Moritz Seider. Joshua tried to free himself from the linesman to get back at Seider as the two were being escorted to the penalty box; Seider just continued to laugh in his face. Joshua was spotted standing in the Canucks box yelling over toward the Red Wings box during the penalty; Rasmussen rolled his eyes, and Seider didn't bat an eye as he continued to re-tie his skates.

Overall, it was an outstanding effort for the Detroit Red Wings. There were a couple of things that stood out, though. The third pairing of Shayne Gostisbehere and Olli Maatta is a liability during five-on-five play. Head coach Derek Lalonde and assistant Bob Boughner must be creative, particularly on the road, to prevent that pairing from being exposed. Easier said than done. Recently, Lalonde mentioned that adding a versatile forward ahead of the trade deadline would be atop his wishlist. However, adding a reliable defender might be the more impactful option, even as a rental. Maybe Simon Edvinsson could be that addition? If so, adding a player like Adam Henrique via trade would only strengthen Detroit's chances of qualifying for the postseason. Alex Lyon was stout again, making 28 saves. It's so nice to have a reliable goaltender again that doesn't allow many weak goals. That alone gives the bench some confidence, knowing if they do make a mistake, there is a good chance that Lyon will bail them out.

Things are going to be interesting on Thursday night when the Red Wings play the Canucks in Vancouver. The entire road trip will go as follows: Edmonton on Tuesday, Vancouver on Thursday, Calagry on Saturday, and round up the road trip in Seattle on Monday.