Detroit, Michigan: Red Wings Lose Two Goal Lead in Detroit as St. Louis Blues Rally for 5 to 4 Win

The Detroit Red Wings lost a two goal lead in the third period on Saturday afternoon and fell 5 to 4 to the St. Louis Blues at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit (6-5-3) led 3 to 1 in the second period and 4 to 2 in the third. St. Louis (7-6-1) then scored three straight goals in a span of 4 minutes and 38 seconds, NHL.com reported, and the last two came 18 seconds apart.

How Detroit built the lead

Dalibor Dvorsky gave St. Louis a 1 to 0 lead at 2:29 of the first period, on the Blues' only shot of the period.

J.T. Compher tied the match at 1 to 1 at 8:13. Michael Rasmussen stole the puck from Blues goaltender Joel Hofer behind the net and fed Compher for the goal.

Keegan Kolesar put Detroit ahead 2 to 1 just 41 seconds into the second period, on a breakaway. It was Kolesar's first goal of the season and his first point in 14 games, the match reports said.

Lucas Raymond made it 3 to 1 at 13:14 of the second with an unassisted goal, skating out of the left corner to the high slot and beating Hofer with a wrist shot. Raymond finished with a goal and an assist, and the goal was his fifth in his last six games, the Red Wings said.

Jimmy Snuggerud cut the lead to 3 to 2 at 19:32 of the second, tucking in a rebound.

Emmitt Finnie restored the two goal lead at 3:29 of the third with a power play goal from the slot.

The rally in 4 minutes and 38 seconds

Pavel Buchnevich cut the lead to 4 to 3 at 8:37 of the third with a wrist shot from between the face off circles.

Justin Barron tied the match at 4 to 4 at 12:57, one timing a loose puck in the slot.

Aleksanteri Kaskimaki put St. Louis ahead 5 to 4 at 13:15, redirecting a low shot by Alexey Toropchenko from along the left boards. It was Kaskimaki's first NHL goal, in his 11th game, and it stood as the game winner. Kaskimaki is the second Blues player in the past 10 years whose first NHL goal was a game winner, NHL.com said, after Jake Neighbours on October 23, 2021.

"This is pretty unreal," Kaskimaki said, in comments published by NHL.com. "I had chances and looks in the first few games, so now to get one and have it be the game winner is a good feeling."

Numbers behind the loss

Detroit held the Blues to nine shots through the first two periods, and at one point St. Louis went 26 minutes and 38 seconds between shots, the Red Wings said.

Hofer made 24 saves for St. Louis. John Gibson made 10 saves for Detroit and allowed five goals on 15 shots, and Detroit coach Todd McLellan refused to blame him. "You can't put this on John Gibson," McLellan said.

"We got sloppy," McLellan said after the match, in comments published by the Red Wings. Raymond put the loss plainly: Detroit held a two goal lead in the third period at home and should have closed the match out.

What happens next

St. Louis opened a four game road trip with the win. Detroit, which had gone 5-1-3 in its previous nine games, now leaves on a road trip to Florida, opening against the Florida Panthers on Monday night, the Red Wings said.