Red Wings Return Home to Defeat Penguins, 3-1

The Detroit Red Wings returned to Joe Louis Arena after a week-long, three-game road trip through Western Canada and didn’t appear worn down from their travels, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 Monday night.

The Red Wings earned points in all three of their games last week and added two more against the Penguins. They’ve picked up 17 of a possible 22 points since returning from the Olympic Break, going 8-2-1 in the eleven-game stretch.

Henrik Zetterberg figured into all three Detroit goals, scoring two of them and assisting on Valtteri Filppula’s opening marker.

With 57 seconds left in the first period, Filppula took a cross-ice feed from Todd Bertuzzi and skated into the Pittsburgh zone. Cutting through the left faceoff circle, he dragged the puck as he cut inside and used defenseman Sergei Gonchar as a screen, snapping a shot between Gonchar’s legs and past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Zetterberg made it 2-0 at 7:38 of the second. He carried the puck off the left wing boards through the faceoff circle and backhanded a shot on Fleury. With Bertuzzi set up in front of the goal, Zetterberg got his own rebound and lifted it over Fleury’s pad.

The Penguins pulled back to within one when Pascal Dupuis poked a loose puck past Jimmy Howard with 3:06 left in the second.

Zetterberg restored the two-goal lead 1:20 into the third, snapping a shot from the high slot past Fleury.

Fleury finished the night with 30 saves on 33 Detroit shots while Howard stopped 26 of 27 Pittsburgh chances.

Neither team scored with the extra attacker. Detroit had four power plays and Pittsburgh had one.

The Red Wings continue their three-game homestand on Wednesday when they host the St. Louis Blues.

---

Detroit was without Patrick Eaves and Dan Cleary for the second consecutive game. Defenseman Derek Meech filled in at forward and Brett Lebda dressed but did not see playing time.