The Detroit Red Wings won over the Winnipeg Jets Thursday night after coming back from a two-goal deficit. Justin Abdelkader scored the game-winner, which helped halt a three-game losing streak for Detroit as they push towards the playoffs.
The Jets took a 2-0 lead in the game before the Red Wings rallied, getting goals from Dylan Larkin and Jonathan Ericsson before Abdelkader scored the winner. Petr Mrazek had 23 saves in the game for the Red Wings, which helped keep the team on top of the wild card standings in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings will next play the New York Rangers on Saturday before the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
"That's a huge game for us, a huge win," Abdelkader said. "Obviously we know what's at stake, so those are two big points. It's nice not to have to push that to overtime and shootout because sometimes that's a flip of the coin."
The Jets took a 2-0 lead on goals from Marko Dano and Tyler Myers, but the team could not hold off the Detroit rally. Winnipeg has now lost three games in a row after the loss to the Red Wings. Abdelkader scored the eventual game winner with less than five minutes in the game. It was Abdelkader's 17th goal of the season.
Abdelkader played a major role in the game, scoring the winning goal and also playing on the penalty kill for Detroit. He was on the ice for all four of the Winnipeg power plays, and Detroit was able to keep the team from scoring on all of them. The winger also helped set up Larkin's goal, pushing a pass towards the rookie, who was able to put it in with a one-timer shot.
"I thought we showed the type of character we have tonight," coach Jeff Blashill said. "It's a hard league to win in and we found a way to win."
Larkin scored his 20th goal of the season, making him the first rookie in the team's history to reach that mark since the 2003 season, when Henrik Zetterberg did it. Larkin has been impressive as a rookie, and while he doesn't have the name recognition of players like Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel, he has been a key component for Detroit's success this year.
"It's pretty cool," Larkin said. "It was a goal of mine coming into the year so but for me it's what's next and maybe 25, so there's always more. I want that for myself and for our team to be successful."
The Red Wings are currently leading the wild card standings in the eastern Conference by one point over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes are within striking distance of the wild card with 73 points, and that makes every game crucial for the Red Wings.
