Detroit Red Wings Get Huge Comeback Win Against Vancouver Canucks

Before Detroit could blink, they were down 1-0 when Henrik Sedin scored 30 seconds into the game. Christian Ehrhoff added to the deficit seven minutes later.

Things weren’t looking good for Detroit on Tuesday night against Vancouver, as Chris Osgood was pulled after giving up two goals on four shots faced.

But then, something strange happened: The Red Wings were on the opposite end of a blown lead.

Rallying back from two goals down, Detroit got a first-period goal from Tomas Holmstrom and then four goals in the third period to win 5-4.

A comeback. A victory. On the road. How about that?

In what wound up being a thrilling contest for those few who stayed up to watch on the east coast, perhaps the most promising sign of the night was the two goals from Pavel Datsyuk.

The Russian is one of the two most important players on the team as far as offense is concerned (Henrik Zetterberg being the other), and he had been without a goal this season before Tuesday night. Datsyuk picked up his first two goals of the season in a three-minute span to give Detroit a brief 4-3 lead.

He also tallied an assist and ended the game with three points.

Jason Williams tapped in the game winner on a power play, and the Wings managed to hold the 5-4 lead for the last four minutes.

Jimmy Howard played very well in relief of Osgood, and that’s a good thing for the future. Osgood had an incredibly off night, but Howard was able to come in and bend just little enough for Detroit’s offense to salvage two full points from the game.

Tuesday was an uncharacteristically bad night from Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo as he let in five goals on 42 shots. To be fair, two of those goals were on Detroit power plays, but this is the man who had given up six goals in his last five games combined.

All in all, a very exciting game for both sides, though Detroit made Vancouver’s fans leave the arena unhappy. Could this be a sign of things turning around in Hockeytown, or was this just a one-game thing for Detroit’s offense?

Five more observations:

1. Ryan Johnson took a nasty slide into the boards in the second period and had to be carted off the ice on a stretcher. Let’s hope he’s alright, as his shoulder slammed into the boards very hard.

2. Filppula draws key penalty. Valtteri Filppula should be credited with drawing the penalty that turned into Datsyuk’s second goal. He burst through three Canucks and would have gotten a shot off on Luongo if not for Kevin Beiksa hooking him. That penalty set up Datsyuk’s second goal of the period. Filppula also got the primary assist on the game-winner from Williams.

3. Schneider says hello. Former Wing Mathieu Schneider scorched home Vancouver’s third goal of the night on a play very familiar to Detroit fans of the past. He was making those slap shots from near the blue line plenty during his four seasons in Hockeytown.

4. Homer right at home. Holmstrom scored Detroit’s first goal and was instrumental on their third and fourth goal, pestering Luongo with his presence in front of the net. There’s no one better in the NHL at that.

5. Three for fighting. That's Brad May's third fight of the season, for those—like me—keeping score.

Best of the Wings: Datsyuk. His first two goals of the season and an assist make him the best Wing on the ice, though it was close between him and Holmstrom.

Worst of the Wings: Osgood. The veteran faced four shots and allowed two goals before being removed. Another simple call tonight.

Word of the game: Relief. The first road win and first win overall in nearly two weeks. This must be a huge weight off the players’ shoulders.

Up next: Thursday, at Edmonton, 9:30 p.m.