Five Takeaways from Red Wings Week #1

Elmer Soderblom scored his first NHL goal early in the third period to help give the Detroit Red Wings a 3-0 shutout victory against the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener at Little Caesars Arena on Friday.

Michael Rasmussen and Olli Maatta scored empty net goals late in the third period to seal the win for Detroit. Ville Husso earned the shutout stopping all 29 shots taken by the Canadiens. Detroit outshot Montreal 40-29.

On Saturday, Detroit played in New Jersey against the Devils. Detroit scored four second period goals in a 5-2 victory. Alex Nedeljkovic was exceptional, making 37 saves in goal to earn the win for Detroit. Ben Chiarot opened the second period scoring for Detroit. Jakub Vrana, David Perron, and Dylan Larkin also scored second period goals for the Red Wings. Dominik Kubalik scored Detroit’s fifth goal just past the midway point of the third period.

New Jersey outshot Detroit 39-22. Both teams were held scoreless on the power play.

Five Takeaways

• The Red Wings directed 25 shots on the Montreal goal during the first period of Friday’s game against the Canadiens. The highest single-period shot total for Detroit all season last year was 22.

• Michael Rasmussen picked up three points against Montreal. He recorded two points twice last year, including one goal and one assist in the final game. That gives Rasmussen five points in his last two regular season games. What can we expect for the rest of the season?

• Elmer Soderblom was terrific during his first NHL game. Not only did he score the game-winner, but he also had five shots on goal, one takeaway, one blocked shot, and a +2 rating…all in under 13 minutes of playing time.

• Dylan Larkin picked up one goal, three points, and a +4 rating during the win in New Jersey. Larkin has four points in his first two games this year.

• Robert Hagg had six hits and six blocked shots while playing on the Detroit blueline on Saturday.

NOTES: 

The home opener was a complete sellout of 19,515 seats. The Red Wings remain undefeated after two games. …Detroit has outscored their opponents 8-2 during the two wins. Filip Zadina and Jordan Oesterle were healthy scratches for both weekend games. Tyler Bertuzzi blocked a shot with his arm during the second period and did not return. Detroit received solid goaltending during both weekend games. …The Red Wings get one day off before playing seven games in 15 days to close out the month of October.

The Week Ahead

The upcoming week for the Detroit Red Wings includes three games in seven days. The Red Wings will start the week playing on Monday at home against the Los Angeles Kings. Game time is 7:00 pm ET. Detroit will have three days off before they travel to Chicago for Friday’s 8:30 pm ET tilt with the Blackhawks. The Red Wings will return home for a Sunday afternoon affair with Anaheim. Game time is 5:00 pm ET at LCA.