Final
Red Wings aim for second straight win vs. Ducks
Oct 11, 2014 - 2:04 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Detroit Red Wings' quest for a 24th straight playoff berth is off to a good start, and Mike Babcock's club will try to go 2-0 on the young season when it hosts the Anaheim Ducks in Saturday's battle at Joe Louis Arena.The Red Wings, who haven't missed the postseason since 1990, lost to Boston in the first round of last spring's playoffs, but Detroit was able to get some payback on Thursday when it downed the visiting Bruins by a 2-1 score.
Jimmy Howard needed to make just 16 saves to help Detroit notch a victory in its season and home opener. Howard finished the game strong, making eight of his saves in the third period.
"Our team worked real hard and Howard made some good saves late," said Babcock. "We started off kind of slow, but the guys really picked it up the last two periods."
Justin Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist each had a goal while Johan Franzen registered two assists for the Red Wings, who were eliminated by Boston in five games last spring.
Detroit begins the season without star forward Pavel Datsyuk. The Russian centerman suffered a separated shoulder in an exhibition game and is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season.
While the Red Wings aim for a second straight win to begin the campaign, the Ducks are hoping to rebound from a season-opening setback in Pittsburgh. Anaheim, which led the Western Conference with 116 points last season, was handed a 6-4 loss by the Penguins, who received two goals and an assist from Sidney Crosby.
The Penguins put up 39 shots on Pittsburgh native John Gibson, who let up all six goals in a rough homecoming that spoiled a hat trick from Anaheim teammate Corey Perry. The 21-year-old Gibson had only three regular-season games and four postseason tilts at the NHL level under his belt before Thursday's start.
"A tough situation for him in his hometown in the first game of the year," Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy said of Gibson. "But the team in front of him didn't play nearly well enough and we have to find a way to be better and we were not tonight. There were far too many things that went wrong, and we have to figure this out because that was embarrassing."
Ryan Kesler, the Ducks' headline offseason acquisition, had a goal and two assists for his new team. Ryan Getzlaf and Sami Vatanen each registered two assists in the loss.
Frederik Andersen could get the start in net for Anaheim tonight. The 25-year- old Danish netminder has never faced the Red Wings.
Ducks defenseman Bryan Allen missed the opener with a lower-body injury and is questionable for tonight.
Anaheim has won two straight and four of its last six meetings with Detroit. The Ducks also have claimed two in a row at Joe Louis Arena after dropping their previous eight tests in the Motor City.
The Ducks are beginning the season on a four-game road trip, and they will also visit Buffalo and Philadelphia before the swing is over. Anaheim's home opener is set for Oct. 17 against Minnesota.
Detroit, meanwhile, is opening the season on a three-game homestand, a residency which is set to end Wednesday against Boston.
- ANAHEIM: 3
DETROIT: 2
Final
Oct 11 9:37 PM - ANAHEIM: 2
DETROIT: 2
End of Regulation
Oct 11 9:37 PM - Anaheim Goal - Matt Beleskey, from Ryan Kesler at 3:18.
Ducks 2, Red Wings 2 3rd - 16:42Oct 11 9:02 PM - ANAHEIM: 1
DETROIT: 1
End of 2nd
Oct 11 8:38 PM - Detroit Goal - Luke Glendening, from Justin Abdelkader and Niklas Kronwall at 15:33.
Ducks 1, Red Wings 1 2nd - 4:27Oct 11 8:29 PM - Anaheim Goal - Ryan Getzlaf, from Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon at 1:13.
Ducks 1, Red Wings 0 2nd - 18:47Oct 11 8:03 PM - ANAHEIM: 0
DETROIT: 0
End of 1st
Oct 11 7:43 PM - ANAHEIM: 0
DETROIT: 0
1st Period - 20:00
Oct 11 7:08 PM
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