Vrana has goal, assist for Red Wings in win against Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS --Jakub Vrana had a goal and an assist to help the Detroit Red Wings rally for a 5-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Friday.

The Red Wings (19-27-9) moved one point ahead of the last-place Blue Jackets (17-26-12) in the eight-team Discover Central Division. They finish the season here Saturday.
Columbus needs a regulation win to finish ahead of Detroit.

Joe Veleno scored his first NHL goal, Valtteri Filppula had three assists, and Thomas Greiss made 22 saves for Detroit, which scored three goals in a span 3:02 of the second period.
"We stayed with it. That's the biggest thing I thought," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I don't think we were good enough in the first period. Our [defensive]-zone coverage wasn't very good. We got better as the game went along.
"This is a group that's fought and competed on a daily basis, and it showed tonight. I like this group. There's a lot of character in this room."
Gavin Bayreuther scored his first NHL goal since 2018, and Matiss Kivlenieks made 31 saves in his first start of the season for Columbus, which had a five-game point streak end (2-0-3).
"It's a situational game and you pick your spots," Blue Jackets forward Nathan Gerbe said. "I think the second period was lost battles and puck possession."
Veleno, in his fifth NHL game, brought the Red Wings within 2-1 at 13:50 of the second period with a power-play goal off a pass from Vrana.
"It obviously feels really good to have that first one go in and have it in a victory for our team, so it's a lot of happy faces around the locker room," Veleno said. "It feels good, but I just wanted to stay with it and be patient."
Danny DeKeyser tied it 2-2 at 14:48. The puck caromed off the end boards to him in the left circle and he one-timed a shot while Kivlenieks scrambled to cover the net.
Vrana put Detroit ahead 3-2 at 16:52, scoring from the low right circle off a pass by Richard Panik. Vrana and Panik were acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals for Anthony Mantha on April 12.
"He's a real talented player. That's a fact," Blashill said of Vrana. "He can be a real key addition. What I like best about him is he is really receptive to coaching. He wants to get better in those areas he needs to get better."

Vladislav Namestnikov scored empty-net goals at 17:58 to make it 4-2 and at 19:12 for the 5-2 final.
Bayreuther gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead 1:43 into the first period. It was his first goal in 20 games, since Nov. 28, 2018 for the Dallas Stars.
"I feel like I've been shooting the puck a lot these past games I've been playing and I'm fortunate for it to finally go in," Bayreuther said. "It's one of the strengths of my game, getting pucks on net, getting it through the shot blockers, and it feels good to put one home tonight.
"Confidence is everything in this league. You've got to play. You've got to want the puck."
The goal ended Greiss' shutout streak at 138:13 dating to the third period of a 7-3 win against the Stars on April 22.
Gerbe made it 2-0 at 7:48 of the second period on a breakaway when he took a stretch pass from Eric Robinson and scored after a move to his backhand. It was his first goal since Feb. 13, 2020.
"After they score a power-play goal they got some juice and then they started checking," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "Their legs were better, they started checking.
"We turn one over and it ends up in our net. We turn another one over on a breakout, it ends up in our net after the power-play goal, and then they check the [stuff] out of us. That's the story of the game."
NOTES: Greiss has a nine-game point streak (6-0-3) to tie his longest stretch without a regulation loss. He was 7-0-2 for the New York Islanders from Jan. 3-March 9, 2016. … The Red Wings were 0-for-21 on the power play in 10 games until Veleno scored. They are 16-for-16 on the penalty kill in the past six games.