Red Wings Post Mental Fortitude Victory

It was like old home night for the Detroit Red Wings. The Magic Man was back in the house. Holmstrom was scoring from the net front. And ultimately, there was heartbreak for Patrick Roy’s team in Hockeytown.

It was a long time coming, but the fact that this 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday arrived was all that mattered for a team in desperate need of a feel-good performance.

Embattled Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde was calling it a mental fortitude win, and he’s not wrong.

A little late-game magic. 🪄 pic.twitter.com/O1AK0oVu8V

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 22, 2024

“Of course we needed one,” Lalonde said. ” I thought we hung in there. That’s a tough team to get offense on, especially when the goalie looks like he’s zoned in, which he was tonight.”

Nearing the six-minute mark of the first period, Simon Holmstrom was tipping in a Scott Mayfield point shot, putting the Isles ahead 1-0. And the way Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin was blocking everything the Wings were aiming his way, it was looking like another night that was going to end badly for this struggling Detroit squad.

Fittingly, though, on a night that they were honoring Pavel Datsyuk for his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Detroit would be scoring two highlight-reel goals in the final 4:41 of regulation to be claiming the two points.

Bergy on the breakaway. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/2naEGdyDP2

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) November 22, 2024

First, Jonatan Berggren was taking advantage when the stick of Isles defenseman Alexander Romanov was splintering on a point shot to break the other way. He would snap a high shot in just under the crossbar on Sorokin’s stick side.

Then when just 51.1 seconds left before heading to overtime, Dylan Larkin found a wide-open Lucas Raymond in the high slot. His quick shot would bank in off the post to Sorokin’s glove side.

Red Wings Changing The Narrative

Just like that, the team that was nearing the bottom of the Eastern Conference was instead finding a reason to feel good about themselves again.

“Of course it’s important but our guys are pretty good on staying in the moment,” Lalonde said of the win. “I mean, you can make the narrative any way you want.

“We’ve got points in two straight. Obviously, it doesn’t feel good enough. There’s noise around it, but we had a really good practice (Wednesday).

“Some of the things we emphasized – improved track, improved D zone – I thought translated. And again, I thought we got what we deserved.”

A team beginning a stretch of five of six games at home also got the much-needed win that just might get them heading in the right direction again.