Wings’ Super Streaks Continue

Brendan Shanahan, Sergei Fedorov, Luc Robitaille, and Brett Hull all extended their scoring streaks by one more game as the Detroit Red Wings emerged victorious over Robitaille’s former team, the Los Angeles Kings.

Detroit opened the scoring only forty-one seconds into the game. Kris Draper fired on goalie Felix Potvin, but the puck was deflected. Shanahan picked up the rebound and fired again, but Potvin managed to block again. He wasn’t so lucky when Fedorov got hold of the second rebound, however; the puck went up and over Potvin.

The Red Wings scored again just 4:33 into the first period. Steve Yzerman, about to skate behind the net, passed out front to Brett Hull, who one-timed the puck over Potvin’s shoulder and into the net.

The Kings came back only twenty seconds later. Glen Murray picked up the puck as it bounced away from Dominek Hasek’s leg pads, and flipped it over the sprawled goalie.

Greg Johnson scored the equalizer with 6:27 left to play in the period, in a two-on-one rush against Hasek. The Kings had the opportunity to move into the lead when Steve Duchesne was given an interference penalty with just over two minutes in the period, but the Red Wings’ penalty-killers were able to keep the Kings from scoring.

Detroit was able to take a power play chance less than a minute into the second period, when Eric Belanger was given two minutes for holding the stick. The power play was able to get off three good shots against Los Angeles, but Potvin stopped each of them.

Detroit’s power play got another chance before the period was over, when Philippe Boucher was penalized for slashing. Nicklas Lidstrom passed the puck to Shanahan along the blue line. Shanahan fired from the left point, and Robitaille tipped the puck in behind Potvin.

Duchesne was given a penalty for holding with only 1:40 left in the period. Not only did the penalty-killing unit keep Los Angeles from scoring, but Hull, Draper, and Chris Chelios were each able to take shots against Potvin.

Detroit had another power play opportunity at the end of the second, when Kim Johnsson was sent to the box for cross-checking. Even though this power play generated more scoring chances, Boucher kept the puck out of the net.

Detroit got what nearly amounted to a double power play 9:33 into the third period. Boucher was called for tripping up Mathieu Dandenault, and Aren Miller was called for cross-checking with just thirteen seconds left in Boucher’s penalty. Even though coach Scotty Bowman called a timeout in-between to rest his power play unit, Detroit was unable to capitalize on their man-advantage.

Los Angeles pulled Potvin from goal when the game was down to its last minute and fifteen seconds, but the Red Wings kept the Kings from scoring again, giving Scotty Bowman the twelve-hundredth win of his career, and improving their record to 7-1-0.

The Wings continue their homestand Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers, who currently have a record of 6-2-1.