Wings win exhibition opener; draft pick scores
The night was productive for multiple Detroit Red Wings newcomers, including one of the youngest.
The Wings began an eight-game exhibition slate Tuesday, hosting a Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh Penguins at Little Caesars Arena. Michael Rasmussen broke a tie near the midpoint of the third period to pull the Wings ahead en route to a 4-3 victory.
Exhibition games are about seeing who fits where, and giving young players a chance to show where they're at developmentally. Firstround pick Nate Danielson continued a strong camp by scoring a goal. Alex DeBrincat, the prize acquisition of the summer, assisted on goals from Dylan Larkin and Moritz Seider.
Newcomer Shayne Gostisbehere showed off his power play prowess in earning an assist. Defense prospects Simon Edvinsson and William Wallinder assisted on Rasmussen's goal.
Top pick
Danielson, the Wings' top choice (No. 9) in July's draft, showed off his instincts late in the first period, swooping in to catch the puck after Taro Hirose lost an edge and firing a shot that eluded Alex Nedeljkovic. (The former Wings goaltender had an otherwise strong first period, denying 14 shots.) Danielson was also on the ice for nearly the entire power play the Wings had in the first period, manning the unit along with Jeff Petry, Lucas Raymond, Andrew Copp and Jake Walman.
When the Penguins pulled Nedeljkovic with about 1:40 to play, Danielson was among those who got to play in what during the regular season would be a key situation.
Top gear
Raymond got the first exhibition game look on the line with Larkin and DeBrincat. Derek Lalonde experimented with having Raymond or David Perron in that spot during camp, but at least for starters, Perron subbed onto a line with Rasmussen and Copp. DeBrincat had a hand in Larkin's power play goal at 6:58 of the second period, which came while two Penguins cooled their skates in the penalty box. The Wings were able to give their man-advantage units multiple looks thanks to a handful of Penguins penalties.
Top start
A solid showing in camp scrimmage earned James Reimer the nod in goal. The Wings carried play early, but the Penguins succeeded on their second shot on net, at 6:23 of the first period, when Radim Zohorna took advantage of Seider getting caught watching to angle a wrist shot behind Reimer. Valtteri Puustinen scored down low at 10:14, taking advantage of lackadaisical play by Jonatan Berggren to make it two goals on nine shots for the Penguins. The Wings used the break in the game to switch to goaltender Jan Bednar.