New York. Detroit has a new hockey champion.
Alex DeBrincat completed a hat-trick as the Red Wings won their third straight last night and surprisingly sailed to the top of the NHL East standings.
– I’m forming a chain with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin and they are great players, explains the league’s early top scorer after a 6-2 win over Calgary.
Suddenly, fans in “Hockeytown” were smiling again, because after seven tough years — without a single playoff appearance at the stately Little Caesar’s Arena — the Red Wings had consistent success through the start of this year’s regular season.
They lost their opener away to New Jersey, but have since gone on a winning streak, thus salvaging a fifth straight win at home against Calgary last night – just over a day after a heavy mark against rival Ottawa.
Thus, the Wings team tops the standings in the Eastern Conference.
We score an average of five goals per game, and we entered that goal with a 50 percent power play distribution. Of course, it won’t stay that way, but you have to ride these types of waves as long as you can, coach Derek Lalonde.
Alex DeBrincat probably won’t continue to produce in the same way either, but for now he’s interesting.
1/2Photograph: Paul Sancia/AP
The 25-year-old sharpshooter – who began his NHL career in Chicago and after an unsuccessful year in Ottawa returned home to Michigan this summer – notched a hat-trick against the Flames and scored a total of eight goals in six games.
With this harvest, he gained an early lead in the shooting league.
– Now it’s all coming together, he notes with a satisfied smile.
– But I form a chain with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin and they are great players. We thrive together and also play well defensively and therefore have success offensively.
Raymond, yes. He assisted all three goals scored by the ‘Cat’ – and the performance was impressive.
-Lucas has speed and a great hockey IQ, and I definitely see him as one of the most underrated players in the league, praises to his teammate.
An assist for Mikael Backlund, Calgary
In Anaheim, a young rookie became an overnight success.
No, not Leo Carlson. He didn’t play at all in the Ducks’ home game against Boston, perfectly consistent with general manager Pat Verbeek’s thoughts that the young Swede should be played sparingly during the first season opener.
Instead, 19-year-old Boston Bear player Matthew Poitras not only scored his first NHL goal, but his second as well – helping his team turn a 0-1 deficit into a 3-1 win in the third period.
In the Boston penalty area, Linus Ullmark was stable as usual and stopped 31 shots.