Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Notebook: Kubalik Nets Winner Against Old Team

Chiasson impressive presence at net front

Published

1 year ago

March 8, 2023

Bob Duff

Former Blackhawk Dominik Kubalik was scoring the winner for the Red Wings against Chicago.

Everyone always wants to show the ex how well you’re doing since they dumped you, and Detroit Red Wings forward Dominik Kubalik is no different.

Last summer, the Chicago Blackhawks were reaching the decision that Kubalik wasn’t worth the offer of a new contract. He wound up joining the Red Wings as an unrestricted free agent.

Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena, Kubalik’s goal at 15:53 of the third period was snapping a 3-3 tie and give Detroit a 4-3 victory over Chicago.

And yes, it was as sweet and tasty for him as you might imagine it to be.

“It felt really good, especially against them,” Kubalik said with a smile. “You always want to beat the old team . . . so I’m happy we did it and hopefully it’s going to give us confidence into the next game.”

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde felt that both Kubalik and his team were gaining their just rewards for the victory.

“He was good tonight,” Lalonde said of Kubalik. “You could tell he had some jump. He had a lot of chances.”

Chiasson Making His Presence Felt For Red Wings

Playing his third game as a Red Wing and first in Detroit, veteran NHL forward Alex Chiasson put forth an impressive performance, dishing out a pair of assists. One came via a between the legs, cross-crease pass to goal scorer Dylan Larkin during a Detroit power play.

Larkin's 24th off a pretty one from Chiasson. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/79M6EXkr3c

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 9, 2023

“Good pro,” Lalonde said. “Glad he was rewarded with some offense. Great job creating on the power play.

“He’s been a successful net front power-play guy in this league. He looks very comfortable there.”

The Wings were losing some strong net front workers when Tyler Bertuzzi and Oskar Sundqvist were dealt at the NHL trade deadline. The arrival of 11-season NHL veteran Chiasson, 32, from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins is filling a role that can prove difficult for many to master.

“We’ve tried other guys there,” Lalonde said. “They don’t have the feel of when to have that presence, when to puck support, when to make a play. There’s a talent to it and (Chiasson) looks comfortable there.”

Ice Chips

Detroit defenseman Ben Chiarot was collecting his 100th NHL assist in the win . . . Kubalik is second on the Red Wings with 18 goals and tied for third on the team with three game winners . . . Larkin was reaching the 60-point plateau for the second successive season. He also was posting back-to-back 60-point campaigns in 2017-18 and 2018-19.