The game started so well for the Detroit Red Wings: They scored first and played with energy and nary a boo was heard.
Then they gave up four straight goals and their goaltender was chased and fans at Little Caesars Arena resorted back to chanting "Sell the team!" and booed the Wings when they skated off the ice after the second period on Friday, Oct. 8, down three goals to the Seattle Kraken.
The Wings needed two points all the more after starting the season with two straight losses (before a win Tuesday), but the damage was irreparable, and they ended up falling, 6-3.
The final outcome sullied what was a special night for two players, as both William Wallinder and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard notched their first NHL goals, Brandsegg-Nygard with 4:33
to play.
Vince Dunn added to his team's lead with a goal at 11:53 of the third period while the Wings had two players in the penalty box.
Who played
Forwards Marco Kasper, J.T. Compher and Mason Appleton remained unavailable because of injuries, but with Sheldon Dries up from the minors, the Wings went back to a 12-6 formation, bumping defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka from the lineup. Up front, Larkin played with Viktor Arvidsson and Lucas Raymond, Emmitt Finnie with Alex DeBrincat and Brandsegg-Nygard, Andrew Copp with Michael Rasmussen and Keegan Kolesar, and Nate Danielson with Dries and Carter Mazur.
On defense, Moritz Seider paired with Albert Johansson, Justin Faulk with Wallinder and Anton Johansson with Ben Chiarot.
First goal
The Wings had their best start of the season, coming out with energy and buzzing around Seattle's zone. DeBrincat and Johansson tested Philipp Grubauer right away, and Larkin's line, which had the second shift, kept up the pressure. After giving up the first goal in each of their first three games, the Wings finally were first to score, during a power play. Larkin's unit worked the puck down low, with Seider finding Raymond in the right circle. Raymond fired the puck towards the net, where Arvidsson finished the play to collect his third goal of the season, at 9:19 of the first period.
The Kraken made it 1-1 when Berkly Catton eluded coverage and slipped a backhand behind goalie John Gibson at 14:52. The Winds had a 16-5 edge in shots after the first period.
First goal, part II
Wallinder, who already earned his first NHL point when he picked up an assist in his debut on Tuesday, followed up with his first NHL goal when he fired a shot through traffic that sank into Seattle's net four minutes into the second period. The momentum didn't last, though: First, Frederick Gaudreau fired a shot that hit the right post and bar on its way into the net, at 4:39. Then former Michigan standout Mackie Samoskevich took advantage of a funny puck bounce to make it 3-2, at 6:59. Less than a minute later, Gaudreau made it 4-2, on Seattle's 10th shot of the game.
Goalie change
The Wings had a chance to push back with a power play at 11:53 of the second period, but didn't look crisp. Instead, it was Ben Meyers who sprang from the penalty box and turned a rush into a 5-2 lead when his shot went high glove-side on Gibson. That gave Seattle five goals on 14 shots in 34:05 minutes, ending Gibson's night and leading to backup Daniil Tarasov making his Wings debut. The Wings held a 29-18 edge in shots after the second period.
Next up
The Red Wings head to Montreal for an Original Six matchup with the Canadiens on Saturday (7 p.m., Detroit SportsNet). The Habs advanced to the Eastern Conference finals last season, but have been scuffling in their early games, starting off 1-2-1 while allowing nearly five goals a game.
Contact Helene St. James at Hstjames@freepress.com. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings drowned by Seattle Kraken offensive attack
