Miller, Emmerton Each Score Twice as Red Wings Rout Kings

The Detroit Red Wings got two-goal efforts from both Drew Miller and Cory Emmerton Saturday night, en route to a 8-2 rout of the Los Angeles Kings.

For Emmerton, his was his first career multiple-point game and his first goals since the season opener. For Miller, it continued a scoring trend that’s seen him more than double his season output in the last week.

Miller opened the game’s scoring only 1:45 into the game. Darren Helm put a shot on net from the right faceoff circle and LA goalie Jonathan Quick kicked the puck into the slot. Miller, driving to the net, picked it up and knocked it back past Quick.

Just 15 seconds later, Emmerton deflected a Jonathan Ericsson shot from just inside the blue line past Quick to make it a two-goal lead.

A Niklas Kronwall blast from the top of the right circle bounced off the post and into the net at 8:32, giving the Red Wings a 3-0 lead and ending Quick’s night, as he was replaced in the Kings’ crease by Jonathan Bernier.

Davis Drewiske got Los Angeles on the board with 2:45 left in the first. After the Red Wings twice failed to clear their zone, Justin Williams sent a pass to Drewiske, who was wide open in the left circle to snap a shot past Jimmy Howard.

Emmerton’s second of the night restored Detroit’s three-goal lead with 1:25 left in the period. Justin Abdelkader sent a pass from the left corner to Emmerton alone in the slot for a quick shot past Bernier, making it 4-1.

The Kings pulled to within a pair again in the second period. With 8:57 left, Jarret Stoll knocked home the rebound of a Williams shot, getting LA back in the game.

Henrik Zetterberg ended any thoughts of a comeback just 1:03 later, powering to the net with Alec Martinez and Dustin Brown on him, lifting a backhander over Bernier’s shoulder and into the top of the net.

Pavel Datsyuk made it 6-2 with 22 seconds left in the middle frame. Todd Bertuzzi made a diving play in the neutral zone to knock the puck to Johan Franzen at the blue line, who carried it into the Kings’ zone and sent it to Datsyuk in the slot. Datsyuk tipped it past Bernier as the goaltender got stuck moving from right to left.

Miller added his second of the night at 7:34 of the third period, snapping a loose puck in the slot past Bernier to make it 7-2.

Brad Stuart rounded out the scoring on a power play goal with 8:42 remaining, putting a booming shot from the top of the right circle through a screen by Tomas Holmstrom and past Bernier.

Stuart’s goal was the only power play marker of the night for either team. The Kings had four tries with the extra attacker while the Red Wings had three.

Howard finished the night with 27 saves on 29 Los Angeles shots. Quick stopped four of the seven shots he faced before being replaced by Bernier, who made 15 saves on twenty shots.

The Red Wings are next in action on Monday when they visit the Edmonton Oilers to kick off a Western Canadian road trip.

---

With forwards Jan Mursak, Patrick Eaves and Chris Conner all on injured reserve, defenseman Mike Commodore was Detroit’s only healthy scratch.