Dylan Larkin’s season debut for the Red Wings? It ended like absolutely nobody inside Little Caesars Arena saw coming. The center, who’d asked for a trade this past summer and lost the captaincy that came with it, got booed on his very first shift. But then he went out and scored Detroit’s go-ahead goal in the first period, assisted on another, and left the ice to full-on cheers as the Red Wings beat the Ottawa Senators 5-3 for their first win of the season. What a wild ride for one guy, all in one night.
From Boos to Cheers: Larkin’s Wild, Wild Night
Let’s just get into the drama of it all, because wow. Larkin came off injured reserve for this game, and yeah, there was no letter on his chest. Detroit stripped him of the captaincy *before* training camp even started after he put in that trade request in the offseason. The Red Wings haven’t even named a captain at all this season. That’s why the building turned on him, why that first shift sounded like it did. Larkin was booed the second he hit the ice, and then again, every single time he touched the puck. You just don’t see that often from your own fans.
But man, did he answer. Playing center between Lucas Raymond and Viktor Arvidsson, Larkin scored once and then set up Arvidsson’s power-play goal in the second period. He finished the night with a goal and an assist. The same roster move that activated Larkin also brought Sheldon Dries up from Grand Rapids under emergency conditions, with Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton going on injured reserve. Dries didn’t even play, but rookie defenseman William Wallinder made his NHL debut and Carter Mazur got into his first game of the season, picking up his first career NHL point with a second assist on Alex DeBrincat’s tying goal. Wallinder even grabbed his first NHL point on Justin Faulk’s goal later on. Talk about a night for the rookies too!
Red Wings Find Their Pace (and Their PK!)
The Wings came out looking way more organized than in their first two games. Emmitt Finnie and Alex DeBrincat got some shots on goal early, but Ottawa’s Tim Stützle scored his third goal of the season, putting the Senators up 1-0. DeBrincat, though, tied it up 1-1 off a weird rebound, a seriously good answer from the squad.
Then came the penalty kill drama. Detroit’s PK had been rough, giving up four power-play goals in the first two games. But in the first period, they shut down an Ottawa power play, keeping the Senators from even setting anything up. Nick Cousins got sent off for holding the stick, putting Detroit on the power play. The crowd kept booing Larkin every time he touched the puck, even though he was active on the power play. Ottawa killed that penalty, but then Larkin, booed and everything, put the Red Wings up 2-1. This was Detroit’s first lead of the entire season! And yeah, the crowd cheered when he scored. Andrew Copp took a high-sticking penalty, putting Detroit back on the PK, but they killed that one off too, ending the period up 2-1.
The second period started, and within the first minute, Detroit was on the power play again. Larkin almost got his second goal, just missing the net. But then Viktor Arvidsson, with his second power-play goal of the season, pushed Detroit’s lead to 3-1, with assists from both Larkin and Raymond. Justin Faulk, scoring his first goal of the season on a sweet falling-down shot, made it 4-1. The Red Wings outshot Ottawa all game, eventually pulling out that 5-3 win. This was a massive first win for the Red Wings, and if Larkin can keep this up, after all that offseason drama, the rest of the league is gonna be watching very, very closely.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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