Dylan Larkin instantly changes Red Wings and delivers first win

The boos chased Dylan Larkin until he gave fans reason to cheer with a goal, an assist, and a tussle.

The Detroit Red Wings instantly looked better with their top center back in the lineup. Fans at Little Caesars Arena – about half full at start time – hadn’t forgotten Larkin’s request to be traded when the game on Tuesday, Oct. 6 began, making their displeasure vocal every time the former captain touched the uck . But as the Wings – winless coming into the night – scored and scored, the boos faded.

The biggest cheers at the end when the Wings won: 5-3, their first of the season, cemented with Alex DeBrincat’s second goal of the game, into an empty net, with 50 seconds on the clock.

Larkin, who was on the ice for 20:41, was named the first star of the game, and was cheered as he waved to the crowd from the ice.

“Just happy to be a hockey player today,” Larkin said postgame in an interview on Detroit SportsNet.

The Senators went on their fifth power play of the game with five minutes to play. Larkin was part of the successful kill, and John Gibson delivered with a point-blank save on Tim Stützle. The Senators pulled their goalie to have an extra attacker, but the Wings ended up finishing the game while on a power play.

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The Wings are dealing with injuries to forwards Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton (both week-to-week) and J.T. Compher (day-to-day), leading to calling up Sheldon Dries under emergency conditions. He did not play. The Wings again went with 11 forwards, with Dylan Larkin centering Viktor Arvidsson and Lucas Raymond, Emmitt Finnie centering Alex DeBrincat and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Andrew Copp centering Michael Rasmussen and Keegan Kolesar, and Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur rotating.

On defense, Albert Johansson paired with Moritz Seider, Anton Johansson with Justin Faulk, Ben Chiarot with Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and William Wallinder making his NHL debut.

Larkin first hopped over the boards for a shift just before two minutes in. Fans booed, and booed when he touched the puck, and booed some more when that shift ended with Tim Stützle scoring to put the Senators up, 1-0. DeBrincat answered within a minute, stuffing the puck on Senators backup goalie Samuel Ersson (the Senators played Monday, too).

Then it was Larkin’s. Detroit’s first power play had just expired, but the Wings still had control of the puck down low. Larkin set up at the top of the crease, in perfect position to redirect Arvidsson’s pass into the net, at 13:14 of the first period.

Larkin picked up his second point two minutes into the second period, during Detroit’s second power play. Near the crease again, he fired a shot that Ersson turned away – straight to Arvidsson, who knocked in his second power play goal of the season to make it 3-1 at 2:01. Justin Faulk joined the fun a couple minutes later, scoring on a breakaway at 4:30 on a play that yielded Wallinder an NHL point in his debut.

Drake Batherson scored on Gibson during an Ottawa power play at 6:08. A melee erupted at the end of the second period as multiple players paired off, including Larkin with Thomas Chabot. The Wings ended up shorthanded to start the third period when officials sorted out the penalties.

William Eklund drew the Senators within a goal midway through the third period.

Friday at Little Caesars Arena against the Seattle Kraken (7 p.m.).

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: Dylan Larkin instantly changes Red Wings and delivers first win