Patrick Kane’s unforgettable night capped off an exhilarating weekend for the Detroit Red Wings. Kane and his teammates will try to carry that momentum into their home game against Washington on Tuesday night.
Kane started off the Red Wings’ big weekend by scoring in the first minute of their Saturday afternoon home game against St. Louis. That sparked Detroit to a 6-1 victory.
The future Hall of Famer then returned to Chicago on Sunday for the first time since the Blackhawks traded him to the New York Rangers last season. He recorded an assist on Alex DeBrincat’s tying goal in the third period, then scored the overtime winner on a breakaway.
The Blackhawks showed a video tribute to Kane during the first period. Both the home fans and visiting Wings fans celebrated his winning goal.
“It was a different kind of night,” Kane said. “I was just trying to stay focused on the game and I didn’t feel like I was into it when it started. Once the tribute happened, it was nice to get that out of the way and just focus on hockey. I found my game in the second (period). There’s just a lot of emotions right now. Being back here and being on a different team. I just tried to show the fans I’ll always have my heart here.”
DeBrincat passed the puck out of the Red Wings zone to his longtime linemate.
“It was an awesome ending,” DeBrincat said. “For him to score here, the fans were loving it and to go home with two points was huge for us. I don’t think you could have scripted it better.”
The Red Wings have been written off in recent years but they’re intent on ending their seven-season playoff drought. They have won five straight, including three in overtime, and currently hold the top wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Kane, who missed some time prior to the All-Star break with a lower body injury, carries an eight-game point streak into Tuesday’s contest.
Washington will be playing the tail end of a back-to-back. The Capitals recorded a 6-3 home victory over Ottawa on Monday night for their fourth win in five games.
The Capitals scored four first-period goals and Hendrix Lapierre scored twice in the second period. The rookie recorded his first multi-goal game.
“It was a great effort from everyone,” Lapierre said. “It’s fun to see guys up and down the lineup contributing.”
Washington needs to get production from a variety of sources because it’s missing key elements to its lineup. T.J. Oshie, Nic Dowd and Nick Jensen are sidelined with injuries. Sonny Milano missed Monday’s game due to illness.
“There’s an energy right now that’s special in this room, and guys are focused, so it’s great,” Lapierre said. “When really important pieces go down, like it’s the case right now, you have to see other guys step up.”
The Capitals are trying to chase down Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division. They’re also in the hunt for a wild-card spot.
This will be the first of three meetings between Washington and Detroit this season.
–Field Level Media
