You could say that this Detroit Red Wings victory arrived Justin time.

Down 2-0 after one period and looking very much like they were headed for their fourth straight loss, the Wings dug deep and rallied, winning 3-2 on Justin Abdelkader’s goal with 4:36 left in the third period.

“That’s a huge game for us, a huge win,” Abdelkader said. “Obviously we know what’s at stake, so those are two big points. It’s nice not to have to push that to overtime and shootout because sometimes that’s a flip of the coin.

“So win in regulation and to get this win, especially after being down 2-0 shows the character in this room, and that we have a lot of fight in here.”

Fragile after three regulation losses in succession, it would have been easy for the Wings to play the woe is me card after falling behind quickly even though they hadn’t started the game all that poorly.

“Anytime you’re going through a losing streak like that and you’re put behind the eight ball, and we haven’t been scoring a ton, so down two-nothing we just stuck with it,” Abdelkader said. “(Goalie) Petr (Mrazek) shut the door there for us and we kept coming and coming.

“It’s always big getting that first goal like we did and I think we had the momentum before that and just carried that throughout the rest of the game.”

Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg felt that even though the team had suffered three losses in a row, for the most part their effort was OK.

“I think the last three games, two of them we have been playing pretty good,” Zetterberg said. “I thought it was a period and half there in Columbus that we were bad. That will happen.

“Today we came out and played well again. We haven’t really gotten the points with us but tonight we did that.”

20-20 Vision
It was Dylan Larkin who got the Wings on the board with a milestone marker for him, the 20th goal of his rookie NHL season.

“It’s pretty cool,” Larkin said. “It was a goal of mine coming into the year.”

What it isn’t for Larkin is a finish line.

“For me it’s what’s next and maybe 25, so there’s always more. I want that for myself and for our team to be successful.”

Zetterberg, who drew an assist on Larkin’s goal, was the last Detroit rookie to reach the 20-goal plateau when he netted 22 in 2002-03.

“It is hard,” Zetterberg said of getting to that plateau as a rookie. “He’s been doing a great job even when it was tough and it hasn’t gone his way.

“He’s been working hard and really doing the right thing so it’s nice to see that he got rewarded.”

For Larkin, it was his first goal in eight games and second in 14.

“I don’t think it was a cold spell, really,” Larkin said of his goal drought. “I think I was playing good hockey.

“I don’t think I was playing terrible in the cold spell but it was nice to put that one away.”

D On the O
Detroit’s other goal came from Jonathan Ericsson, the first tally by a Detroit defender in 11 games since Danny DeKeyser scored Feb. 14 against Boston.

“It’s always big with the D contributing, and I thought they did a great job tonight of spreading the zone when we got the puck up to them,” Abdelkader said. “That particular play, it was kind of the D moving and being active and getting open for the forwards as they come up the wall.

“It was just all around good play by the guys and that’s when we’re successful when we’re spending time in the O-zone moving our feet and winning those one-on-one battles.”

Renouf Signs
The Wings went back to their Maine Black Bears well again Thursday, signing free-agent defenseman Dan Renouf to a three-year entry-level deal. Maine is the same school that produced Wings goalie Jimmy Howard and forward Gustav Nyquist.

Renouf, 21, just completed his junior season at Maine, leading the team’s defensemen with 6-9-15 totals in 38 games. At 6-2, 209 pounds, he’ll also add size to Detroit’s defensive prospects.

“He’s got good size, really god mobility, and plays with a bit of aggression from the back end,” Detroit assistant GM Ryan Martin said. He showed a good two-way game in college.

“He’s a guy that we followed through the USHL into his college career.”

Renouf also signed a pro tryout agreement with Detroit’s AHL farm club in Grand Rapids and will report to the Griffins immediately.

Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer

Join the Discussion: » 2 Comments » Post New Comment

» Five of Last Six First Rounders To Start Season In AHL

» Zadina, Veleno sent down

» Opening-Night Roster Not Set In Stone

» Back Where Pro Hockey Started

» Abdelkader Looking To Bounce Back