Through 20 minutes of play last night, the Detroit Red Wings had been outshot 27-2 by the host Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Yes, you read that correctly. The Kings outshot the Red Wings in the game’s opening 20 minutes 27-2.
Additionally, they also enjoyed a 2-0 lead, as there was only so much that goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic could do after being hung out to dry by his teammates. After the second Los Angeles goal, captain Dylan Larkin decided he needed to try and spark some momentum for his squad, and did so by introducing his stick to the back of Kings center Phillip Danault’s back. Naturally, Danault didn’t take kindly to it, and the pair soon dropped the gloves.
STEVEY Y’S GOON SQUAD pic.twitter.com/SN7SZilcq9
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 9, 2022
Afterwards, Larkin explained that he was trying to send a message and change the momentum of what was an embarrassingly lopsided affair.
“I wanted to send a message and calm things down, get the guys to say ‘Let’s go, enough, play physical hockey and battle before this game gets out of hand,'” Larkin explained. “I thought our second and third period was much better.”
“We weren’t ready to go, he said. “We came in here and dipped our toe in the water. You can’t play like that on the road…we weren’t ready to bring the battle to them.”
The Red Wings will have a chance at redemption later tonight when they take on the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.
– – Quotes via Detroit Red Wings Link – –
