After five straight overtime games and eight consecutive one-goal games, the Detroit Red Wings found themselves a little breathing room Thursday.

A 5-1 rout of the Arizona Coyotes at Joe Louis Arena marked Detroit’s widest margin of victory since a 4-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the season opener.

“It’s exciting after we’ve – I think it was the last five that we went to overtime – so I think some of the boys say we don’t get paid for that extra time,” joked Detroit defenseman Brendan Smith. “Let’s just make sure we can win it in regulation.”

The Coyotes thought they’d opened the scoring barely over a minute into the game, but a Klas Dahlbeck tally was wiped out by a successful coach’s challenge that Arizona was offside when entering the Detroit zone.

“I think it was a key for the game,” Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard said. “When you go down a goal there in a minute and a half it can be tough on you mentally.

“It was a great pick up by our staff down there in the dressing room.”

Momentum quickly swung the other way in the final minute of the opening period when the Wings scored twice to grab a 3-0 lead, the second a bouncing dump in from the neutral zone by Detroit’s Gustav Nyquist that skipped into the net right through the legs of Arizona goalie Mike Smith.

“Two big moments I thought were the last minute of the first - that’s a real deflator for them, the emotion of the game gets missed a lot, and I think that’s a big moment and I also thought our fourth goal (right after the Coyotes scored) was a inflating goal for us and probably deflating for them,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said.

“Those were the key moments in the game.”

Coupled with Tuesday’s 5-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres, it marked the first time since the opening two games of the season that Detroit has scored four or more goals in consecutive games.

Injury Report
It wasn’t all bouquets for the Wings. While scoring three goals in the first period, they finished the frame down to 10 forwards after both Teemu Pulkkinen and Drew Miller were seriously injured.

Pulkkinen was crashed hard into the boards by Coyotes forward Martin Hanzel, who was assessed a boarding penalty on the play. Doubled over in pain and holding his arms in tight, Pulkkinen went straight to the Detroit dressing room and was listed with an upper body injury.

Miller took a Klas Dahlbeck shoulder check directly on the chin and wobbled around the ice like a boxer who was out on his feet. Officials immediately blew the play dead and Miller, who has played in 190 consecutive games, was helped to the dressing room.

“We’re still evaluating both but they both look like they’ll be out for a while,” Blashill said.

Milestone Men
Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard (350 games) and defenseman Niklas Kronwall (700 games), both reached milestones in Detroit uniforms when they took the ice Thursday.

“Really?” Howard asked with astonishment in his voice. “I did not even know that.

“Wow. I guess time flies.”

He was less shocked by Kronwall’s achievement.

“Kronner’s old,” Howard said.

Kronwall, 34, who celebrated his milestone night with a goal, is especially proud to have played his entire NHL career in one city.

“To me it's a big thing to be able to represent the same team for a long time,” Kronwall said. “There's one team obviously that I've been wanting to play for the whole time. I'm lucky that I'm still here.

“Hopefully I'll be around for a few more years.”

Blashill was effusive is his praise of the often-overlooked defenseman.

“When I took the job, the one thing I felt is Kronner, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated defensemen in the league,” Blashill said. “Not that people don’t appreciate him, they do, but I think he’s a legit, legit one defensemen when he’s on top of his game and he is that in my opinion because he can give you offense and he’s great defensively and he has great leadership. He has three unreal qualities.

“I think he’s really starting to play well. I think him and Mike Green are finding a good rhythm together. I think that helps as well.”

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