Red Wings 4, Flames 3: Tomas Tatar and Justin Abdelkader scored third-period goals as visiting Detroit edged Calgary.
Pavel Datsyuk recorded a goal and an assist while captain Henrik Zetterberg also scored for the Red Wings, who improved to 2-0-0 on their four-game trip through Western Canada. Todd Bertuzzi and defenseman Niklas Kronwall each notched two assists and Jimmy Howard made 22 saves.
Blue-liner Chris Butler, rookie Sean Monahan and Curtis Glencross tallied for the Flames, who completed a 1-2-0 homestand. Jiri Hudler set up a pair of goals and former Red Wing Joey MacDonald stopped 18 shots.
Detroit held a 2-0 lead after one period despite being outshot 12-5. Datsyuk buried a rebound midway through the session and Zetterberg converted a nifty backhanded cross-crease pass from Bertuzzi with 2:45 remaining for his team-leading seventh goal.
The Flames battled back in the second as Butler beat Howard with a blast from above the slot at 10:15 and Monahan scored from the right faceoff circle 2:32 later. But Tatar snapped the tie 85 seconds into the third, when Joakim Andersson's impossible-angle shot from the right corner glanced off his stick before caroming off MacDonald and into the net, and Abdelkader added much-needed insurance from the right circle with 3:24 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Abdelkader's goal proved to be the winner as Glencross tallied with 9.8 seconds left in the third period. ... Zetterberg halted a six-game drought with his tally. ... Detroit RW Johan Franzen returned from a one-game absence due to an undisclosed injury but saw limited action in the second period and took just one shift in the third. ... Calgary has dropped two straight in regulation at home after beginning the season 3-0-1 in its own building.
Detroit | Calgary | |
Justin Abdelkader 2 | Points | Jiri Hudler 2 |
Justin Abdelkader 1 | Goals | Chris Butler 1 |
Todd Bertuzzi 2 | Assists | Jiri Hudler 2 |
N/A | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Jimmy Howard .880 | Save Percentage | Joey MacDonald .818 |
Jimmy Howard 22 | Saves | Joey MacDonald 18 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Detroit | 22 | 4 | 0-3 | 5-5 | 10 | 34 |
Calgary | 25 | 3 | 0-5 | 3-3 | 6 | 26 |