Domi scores in overtime as Blackhawks beat Red Wings 4-3
By JAY COHEN | AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — The rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks want to establish a hard-working identity, especially at home.
They took a step in that direction Friday night.
Max Domi stole the puck from Lucas Raymond and scored 2:16 into overtime, lifting Chicago to a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the Blackhawks' home opener.
“I think back-to-back wins, I think we've showed some good resilience,” Andreas Athanasiou said. “Just not giving up on it. It just kind of shows the group we have in here.”
Athanasiou, Philipp Kurashev and Connor Murphy also scored for Chicago in its first game in six days. Petr Mrazek made 15 stops before departing with an unspecified injury, and Alex Stalock had 10 saves in the third period and overtime.
The Blackhawks trailed 3-1 after two periods. They also trailed by two in their previous game before rallying for a 5-2 victory at San Jose.
“They really showed a lot of character in that room,” first-year coach Luke Richardson said.
Richardson said Mrazek felt he had a “small injury” at the end of the second.
“Probably tomorrow he won't be on the ice,” Richardson said. “We'll just keep him off and just see how it settles, and then take steps from there.”
Dominik Kubalik had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which dropped its second straight game in overtime. Dylan Larkin and Pius Suter also scored, and Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves.
“We just let our foot off the gas," Larkin said. “They came out to play in the third. We didn’t.”
It was Kubalik’s first game against Chicago since he signed a $5 million, two-year contract with Detroit in July. Kubalik spent his first three NHL seasons with the Blackhawks, getting 62 goals and 54 assists in 202 games.
The 27-year-old forward got his second goal with his new team when he tipped Olli Maatta's shot past Mrazek on the goaltender's glove side, making it 3-1 with 8:42 left in the second.
Athanasiou converted a penalty shot 5:41 into the second for his first goal with his new team. It was the first penalty-shot goal for the Blackhawks since Jonathan Toews got one on March 11, 2019, against Arizona.
Chicago then tied it at 3 with two goals in the third. Kurashev beat Nedeljkovic with a backhand on a rebound at 3:46, and Murphy scored a short-handed goal off a faceoff at 10:06.
“A lot of mistakes ended up in the back of our net," Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. "The reality is, they’ve got to go through things like this to learn.”
Toews and Patrick Kane each got a loud ovation when they were introduced before possibly their last home opener with Chicago. Each of the star forwards is in the last year of his contract and could be moved by the Blackhawks at some point this season.
Kane got a good look with about four minutes left in the second, but he shot it off the post.
Detroit jumped in front with two goals 67 seconds apart in the first. Suter scored his first of the season when Robert Hagg's rebound went off his left skate and in, and Larkin added a power-play goal on a wrist shot from the high slot at 10:33.
Larkin departed with an upper-body injury with about seven minutes left in the first, but he returned for the start of the second.
“I’m OK," Larkin said. "It was an awkward play, an awkward fall. I’m all right.”
HE'S BACK
Veteran defenseman Jake McCabe made his season debut for the Blackhawks, replacing Filip Roos in the lineup. The 29-year-old McCabe is coming back from cervical spine surgery.
UP NEXT
Red Wings: Host the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
Blackhawks: Host the Seattle Kraken on Sunday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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