Dylan Larkin says Detroit Red Wings re-discovered some of their ‘mojo’ on their California road swing
The Detroit Red Wings sweep during their California road swing marks a significant achievement, a feat they hadn’t accomplished since their 2008 Stanley Cup-winning season. This success comes as a welcome development for their resurgence in the playoff race within the Atlantic Division. During Sunday night’s 3-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks, there was a worrying incident when captain Dylan Larkin exited with what seemed to be another injury. However, he later returned to the game, alleviating some initial concerns.
The Red Wings outlasted the Anaheim Ducks 3-2
The Ducks took an early 1-0 lead after Trevor Zegras redirected a puck past goaltender Alex Lyon, putting the Red Wings in an early deficit. However, it was Larkin who responded with a power-play goal, leveling the score to 1-1.
During the 2nd period, Joe Veleno attempted a wraparound shot that seemed halted at the goal line by goaltender Lukas Dostal. However, video replay confirmed that the puck had entirely crossed the line, giving Detroit the 2-1 lead.
Zegras leveled the game in the 3rd period, finding himself unmarked in front of the net and firing a wrist shot past Lyon to even the score. As the teams seemed poised for overtime, Michael Rasmussen legally redirected the puck with his skate past Dostal, scoring with just over a minute left in regulation.
Dylan Larkin says Detroit Red Wings rediscovered some of their ‘mojo’ on the successful rip
It was a rough month of December for the Red Wings, but they’ve turned a new leaf by winning three out of three games so far in 2024 and also won all three games of a California road trip for the first time since 2008.
“I think it’s a huge trip for us,” Larkin said. “I don’t think as much as how we were looking at it coming in, we left Detroit feeling like we played a couple of good hockey games, but the results were coming and they came on this trip. We played well, we played the mojo we had when we were healthy, and we got great goaltending….it’s a good feeling. We need to build on that coming home.“
Once more, the Red Wings found themselves trailing 1-0. There was a tense moment when Larkin received a cross-check from Anaheim Ducks forward Mason MacTavish and briefly exited the game. However, he managed to return later on.
“It’s not how you want to start,” Larkin said. “We felt like we shouldn’t have been in that spot, and we got flustered when things got physical, there were some shots being taken out there.”
TL;DR (too long didn’t read)
- The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Sunday night by a 3-2 final score
- Despite falling into an early 1-0 hole, the Red Wings were able to withstand the physical play of the Ducks
- Captain Dylan Larkin stated that the Red Wings rediscovered some of their ‘mojo’ on their successful road trip
Bottom Line: Back to winning
It’s a comforting sight to see the Red Wings get back to their winning ways after an especially tough month of December, sweeping the California road swing for the first time since 2008 and winning all three games so far in 2024.
Larkin and the Red Wings have three days off; their next game will take place at Little Caesars Arena against the visiting Edmonton Oilers on January 11.
