LATE GAME MAGIC: Lucas Raymond saves Red Wings with thrilling winner late in regulation (VIDEO)
What a finish! Red Wings snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with late-game heroics from Jonatan Berggren and Lucas Raymond.
The Detroit Red Wings appeared on their way to what would have been a fourth straight setback on Thursday, trailing the New York Islanders 1-0 late in the third period after being unable to beat goaltender Ilya Sorokin.
The good news for Detroit is that not only did they tie the game with just under five minutes remaining, Lucas Raymond channeled some of his inner-magic fittingly on the night the Red Wings honored 2x Stanley Cup champion and Hall of Famer Pavel Dasyuk.
Breaking free from New York's defense in the left faceoff circle, he sniped a shot past Sorokin's glove after taking a pass in the corner from Dylan Larkin, giving the Red Wings the 2-1 lead with just 52 seconds remaining in regulation :
The Red Wings protected the lead and won by a 2-1 final score, breaking a three-game winless skid after a dismal 0-2-1 road swing in California.
Improving to 8-9-1, they also leapfrogged the rival Ottawa Senators in the Atlantic Division standings.
The goal was Raymond's third of the season and the 10th game-winning tally of his career.
While Raymond hasn't been scoring goals at nearly the same pace as last season, he still has 18 points in 19 games, just under a point-per-game player.
In many ways, Thursday's contest was similar to Detroit's 1-0 win over the Islanders on October 22.
The Islanders took an early 1-0 lead after Simon Holmstrom deflected the puck past Lyon, and the score held for the rest of the first period, all of the second, and most of the third.
Berggren's tying goal came as time was becoming a factor for the Red Wings, as he broke in on a partial 2-on-1 rush and beat Sorokin with a blocker-side shot:
At that point, it seemed as though both teams were heading to overtime.
Clearly, Raymond had different ideas. The crowd at Little Caesars Arena exploded in jubilation after his goal, continuing to cheer until the final horn.
Meanwhile, Lyon bounced back from a subpar performance against the Anaheim Ducks by stopping 22 shots for his third victory.
