On Friday, a sell-out crowd at Little Caesars Arena was treated to an exciting night as head coach Derek Lalonde picked up his first win with the Detroit Red Wings.
The Red Wings stormed out of the gates in the period with a whopping 25 shots on goal, which is more than they had in any period during the 2021-22 season.
Yet, they did not have a goal to show for it.
But rather than getting discouraged that the puck was not going in the net, the Red Wing just kept battling and playing smart hockey.
Eventually, rookie Elmer Soderblom put the puck in the back of the net and Little Caesars Arena exploded. After a couple of empty-net goals, the Red Wing defeated the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 3-0.
What did Derek Lalonde say after the Red Wings' home opener?
Following the game, Derek Lalonde spoke to the media and he talked about finally getting his “Wow” moment, and about how excited he is about the complete game his team played against the Canadiens.
“I’ve probably been asked throughout the (preseason), have you had that wow moment, and I said I’ll hopefully have that wow moment when we win,” Lalonde said. “I had a little of that wow moment. Just excited about how well we played, how complete of a game we played.
“Love the way our guys stuck with it, hung in there and they got what they deserved.”
Via Ansar Khan – MLive
Derek Lalonde says Red Wings won the ‘right way'
Lalonde is clearly happy that the Red Wings picked up a win on Opening Night but he is even more excited that they won the “right way.”
“The important thing is not only getting the first win but getting it the right way,” Lalonde said. “We played a complete game. You worry a little bit about the psyche of playing well and not getting rewarded with the outcome. Tonight, it all came through for us.”
Up next for the 1-0-0 Red Wings is a road matchup on Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils, who are 0-1-0 on the season. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m. ET and it can be seen on Bally Sports Detroit and heard on 97.1 The Ticket.
