National Hockey League
Detroit 4, Chicago 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, April 15, 2021
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Referees: Dean Morton, Garrett Rank
Linesmen: Andrew Smith, Corey Syvret
Attendance: N/A

Troy Stecher notched the first two-goal game of his career, Jakub Vrana scored in his Detroit debut and the host Red Wings topped the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Thursday.

Vrana was acquired from the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline on Monday. Michael Rasmussen also scored for the Red Wings, and Marc Staal had two assists.

Thomas Greiss made 24 saves for Detroit, which extended its winning streak to three games.

The Red Wings defeated Chicago for just the second time in seven meetings. The teams will play their season series finale on Saturday.

Duncan Keith scored for the Blackhawks, and Kevin Lankinen made 24 saves.

Chicago took a 1-0 lead in the first period when Keith, who clanged a shot off the goalpost six minutes earlier, scored for the second consecutive game.

Alex DeBrincat set it up with a pass across the slot to Keith, who was open at the left circle. He fired in a shot before Greiss could recover at 14:47. Dylan Strome collected the second assist on Keith's third goal of the season.

In a four-on-four situation, the Red Wings tied it up at 4:49 of the second period. Stecher collected the puck at center ice, moved into the Blackhawks' zone and took a shot from the point. It deflected off a defender, then rolled up Lankinen's right arm and into the net. Stecher's first goal of the game was assisted by Staal and Luke Glendening.

Vrana served a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty later in the middle period and wound up with a breakaway as he exited the box. Gustav Lindstrom passed the puck out of his zone to Vrana, who slipped the puck under Lankinen's right pad at 8:55.

Stecher's second goal of the game and third of the season made it 3-1 at 11:15 of the second. He was aided by his backline partner Danny DeKeyser, who found Stecher cutting toward the net. Stecher backhanded the puck beyond the prone Lankinen. Vladislav Namestnikov had the second assist.

Rasmussen clinched the Red Wings' victory with an empty-net goal with 1:25 remaining in the game. Adam Erne assisted on Rasmussen's third goal of the season.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Chicago   Detroit
Duncan Keith 1 Points Troy Stecher 2
Duncan Keith 1 Goals Troy Stecher 2
Alex DeBrincat 1 Assists Marc Staal 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Kevin Lankinen .889 Save Percentage Thomas Greiss .960
Kevin Lankinen 24 Saves Thomas Greiss 24
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Chicago 25 1 0-3 1-1 2 16
Detroit 28 4 0-1 3-3 6 26
Upcoming Games
  • Detroit will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Red Wings have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .379 after a loss.
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Detroit. The Blackhawks have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .522 after a loss.