DETROIT _ The Detroit Red Wings demonstrated what functional special teams can accomplish.
They scored twice during man advantages Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena and held the Dallas Stars scoreless through five power plays, including a two-man stretch, to earn a 3-1 victory and bank points for a fourth straight game.
Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha provided power play goals, the first time the Wings have converted in five games. Steve Ott provided the empty-net goal. Danny DeKeyser, Niklas Kronwall and Luke Glendening headlined some fine penalty-killing work in the third period. Petr Mrazek made 34 saves and took a penalty, earning a roughing call after taking a swipe at Patrick Sharp with 3:47 left in regulation. Sharp earned a roughing call for retaliating.
The Wings trailed 16 seconds after the puck dropped. Battling down low, Esa Lindell threw the puck on net, and it deflected in behind Mrazek. Tomas Jurco hit a goal post minutes later when he had a great chance develop. Riley Sheahan shook off Dan Hamhuis to throw a backhand on net that Kari Lehtonen stopped. The Stars used momentum from a power play to earn good time in Detroit's zone, with Mrazek forced to make three quick saves.
An odd-man rush yielded a great chance for Thomas Vanek off a pass from Gustav Nyquist, but Lehtonen gloved the shot.
Nyquist drew a penalty in the last minute of the first period and the Wings needed just six seconds to convert. Frans Nielsen won the faceoff, and Larkin fired a shot while Vanek used his big body to screen.
Tomas Tatar had a shot go off the crossbar early in the second period. A second power play materialized 6 minutes into the second period. Larkin had a good shot right away, but this time it was Mantha who converted. He sent the puck cross-slot to Henrik Zetterberg, who fired a shot that Mantha redirected for a 2-1 lead. Niklas Kronwall also assisted.
Mrazek came up with a big save on Jamie Benn during Dallas' second power play. Sheahan wound up a slap shot from the left circle but his first goal of the season remains elusive. A third Wings power play couldn't match the intensity of the first two, as the Stars were able to break up plays and block shots.
For a team that had but a one-goal lead and faced an opponent that had played the night before, the Wings did not have much bite early third period, and ended up on a third penalty kill. That stretch did go well enough Mrazek didn't even get called upon, and seemed to ignite a little better play overall. A fourth power play saw Ryan Sproul wind up in the left circle only to shoot wide, and Lindell blocked Tatar's try. The Stars got a fourth power play a minute later and a fifth that overlapped 46 seconds and required admirable work from DeKeyser, Kronwall and Glendening to keep the lead intact.
