OTTAWA, Ontario _ The Detroit Red Wings had their best start in weeks, and earned two points when Anthony Mantha scored in overtime.
They ended up winning, 3-2, Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre against the Atlantic Division rival Ottawa Senators.
Thomas Vanek scored for a second consecutive game and Tomas Tatar also contributed a goal, but the Wings went 0-for-5 on power plays in regulation, generating just four shots. Jared Coreau made 26 saves in regulation.
After watching former teammate Daniel Alfredsson celebrated as his number was retired by the team synonymous with his name, the Wings stormed out like a team with something to prove. They earned offensive zone time, battered pucks at Mike Condon, and were rewarded by getting the first goal for the first time in 11 games. It was Vanek with a tip-in, set up by Brendan Smith and Frans Nielsen.
Then the Wings got a power play at 8:36 and they lost momentum from there on out. The rest of the period saw turnover after turnover, and Derick Brassard sent his team into the first intermission on a confident note after banging a slap shot behind Coreau with 16.2 seconds remaining after a Danny DeKeyser turnover. After being ahead in shots, 9-3, at the time of the power play, shots at the end of 20 minutes were 14-12 to the Senators.
The Wings fell behind 5:43 into the second period when Brassard held the puck behind Detroit's net long enough to thread a pass to Mark Stone, who tapped a one-timer behind Coreau. Xavier Ouellet had two attempts go awry, first shooting wide and then hitting a goalpost. Tatar made it 2-2 at 9:18, scoring off a beautiful pass from Henrik Zetterberg by breaking in alone on Condon.
Nielsen missed scoring on the second power play by inches, sending the puck wide from just outside the crease. Where the power play failed to generate momentum, the penalty kill did. The Wings nullified a 1:16 two-man Ottawa power play, and then finished off the rest of the stretch. A third power play materialized when Marc Methot slashed Mantha, spilling over 53 seconds into the third period.
A fourth power play followed two minutes after the third went for naught. Coreau had to make a save on Kyle Turris, and then Tatar got a penalty making for 48 seconds of four-on-four play and another penalty kill. A fifth power play came their way at 6:41. Niklas Kronwall got a slap shot denied, and Mantha also had a slap shot turned away.
