Arvidsson's Hat Trick Lifts Red Wings Past Blackhawks on the Day Detroit Suspended Larkin
Detroit answered the shock suspension of its former captain with a 4-1 win built on Viktor Arvidsson's four-point night.
On the day the Detroit Red Wings suspended their former captain, they delivered one of their cleanest wins of the season. Viktor Arvidsson scored a hat trick and added an assist as Detroit beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday — hours after the club suspended Dylan Larkin without pay, with his agent saying Larkin would no longer play for the organization while he awaits a trade, according to NHL.com.
The game
Chicago actually led first. Connor Bedard opened the scoring at 5:59 of the first period, backhanding in a rebound of Wyatt Kaiser's shot. Arvidsson tied it at 7:31 of the second, deflecting a William Wallinder point shot, and John Gibson kept it level with a pad save on Frank Nazar's second-period penalty shot — the stop that quietly decided the night.
Lucas Raymond put Detroit ahead 69 seconds into the third on a power play, with Patrick Kane in the box for high-sticking, before Arvidsson tipped in an Alex DeBrincat shot late and sealed his sixth career hat trick into an empty net. DeBrincat finished with two assists; Gibson stopped 18 shots. Kane, back in Detroit after his two-plus seasons with the Red Wings, drew a standing ovation. "This was a very special place for me for a few years," he said, per NHL.com.
What it means
Detroit improved to 6-4-3 and has points in eight of its last nine games — form that suddenly has to survive the loudest possible distraction. Andrew Copp took Larkin's spot on the top line, and coach Todd McLellan kept it short on the suspension: "We're moving on."
For Chicago, now 4-9-0 and winless in five road games, it was a flat follow-up to Tuesday's win over the Kings. "It's a step backward," coach Jeff Blashill said.