Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde credits the “huge spark” provided by the 38-save performance by James Reimer.
The Detroit Red Wings bounced back with a much-needed victory earlier today, securing two crucial points with a commanding 5-0 win over the Calgary Flames. The standout performance in net by James Reimer, making his first start since January 14, played a pivotal role in the team's success. Coach Derek Lalonde‘s decision to start Reimer proved to be the correct one, and he praised the “huge spark” provided by the veteran goaltender's 38 saves.
Derek Lalonde credits James Reimer's performance in 1st start since mid-January
Lalonde credited Reimer's mental fortitude, acknowledging the challenges that can arise when you're third on the team's goaltending depth chart.
“For him, it's not only the long time between starts, and his last start obviously in Toronto was excellent, but the Ville coming off the injured list and that time period he's (Reimer) looking at being the No. 3 (goaltender) which is not easy,” Lalonde said. “But he kept his down and a little bit of experience, he understands the goaltending situation can change quickly, and has all year for us. He was ready to go and gave us a huge spark.”
“If you want to stay in this battle, which we are right in the middle of, you can't have extended losing streaks,” Lalonde said. “I know it's only two games but you're looking at Seattle (Monday) on the road and we knew this would be a tough road trip. It was a great response from the guys.”
Dylan Larkin, who scored a power-play goal in the 2nd period, had nothing but good things to say about the way that all three Red Wings goaltenders have delivered winning performances.
“They have, and it's great to see,” Larkin explained. “Reims came into Toronto and gave us a heck of a performance and same thing tonight. He did it for us the whole game so we wanted to battle for him and get him the shutout.”
Reimer's start was necessitated by the fact that Alex Lyon had played in 17 of the last 18 games, while Ville Husso unfortunately suffered another lower-body injury that's expected to sideline him for the foreseeable future.
TL;DR (too long didn't read)
- The Detroit Red Wings earned a huge two points in the standings with today's 5-0 victory over the Calgary Flames
- Making his first start since January 14, James Reimer picked up his 30th career shutout by making 38 saves
- Derek Lalonde credits the “huge spark” that Reimer's performance gave the team
Bottom Line: The road trip wraps up Monday
Thanks to Reimer's consistent performance in the net, Detroit secured a crucial two points, enabling them to stay competitive in the tightly contested race within the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
The Red Wings are set to face off against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday night, the final game of their current road trip. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM, with television coverage provided by Bally Sports Detroit and radio coverage on 97.1 The Ticket.
