Greiss, Red Wings complete home-and-home sweep against Flyers

DETROIT --Thomas Greiss made 32 saves to help the Detroit Red Wings defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday.

It was his first start in 13 games. He was placed in COVID-19 protocol Jan. 17 and last played Jan. 9.
Dylan Larkin had three assists for Detroit (22-21-6), which completed a home-and-home sweep after winning 6-3 at Philadelphia on Wednesday.
"I didn't think we were as crisp as we were in Philadelphia, but [Greiss] played very, very well," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "He was really strong coming back off that layoff. He controlled the game and the puck stuck to him."

Scott Laughton had a goal and an assist for Philadelphia (15-24-8), and Carter Hart made 20 saves. Philadelphia has lost 15 of its past 17 games (2-12-3).
"I thought we did a lot of good things today, but the Red Wings responded really well," Flyers coach Mike Yeo said. "We were playing well, continuing to fight, continuing to work, and we were still down 2-0.
"You are never satisfied with a loss, but we gave ourselves a chance to win the game."
Tyler Bertuzzi gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead at 5:36 of the first period, batting in Robby Fabbri's pass from the edge of the crease.
Bertuzzi, Fabbri and Pius Suter were teammates with Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League from 2013-15, and have played well on the same line.
"[Bertuzzi] and [Fabbri] have great chemistry, and Suter is the kind of defensive player and playmaker they need," Blashill said. "They played together in junior, so we knew it could work, and we're much better with a second scoring line."
Filip Zadina made it 2-0 at 9:37 of the second period, beating Hart from the slot. He has played in Bertuzzi's spot on the top line with Larkin and Lucas Raymond.
"Coach talked to me at the All-Star break about putting [Vladislav Namestnikov] back with [Michael Rasmussen] and bringing [Zadina] back to our line," Larkin said. "I played with [Zadina] last year, and I know he works hard. He's struggled some this year, but he's been working to make us better."

Keith Yandle scored for Philadelphia to make it 2-1 with a power-play goal at 19:52, with a slap shot through traffic. It was his first goal for the Flyers in 47 games this season.
Moritz Seider put Detroit ahead 3-1 with a power-play goal at 9:05 of the third period.
Laughton got Philadelphia within 3-2 at 9:49 when he tapped in a loose puck.
"Obviously, this isn't the result we wanted, but we skated a lot better and we were working together," Laughton said. "We've got to keep building on that and hopefully get something going."

Rasmussen made it 4-2 at 18:21 with an empty-net goal.
Detroit has won four of its past six games
"Everyone's aware of the position we are in," Larkin said. "We are right there (in the wild-card race) and we haven't been there in a couple seasons. ... This is exciting. This is why you play."
NOTES:It was Yandle's first goal since Feb. 22, 2021 (85 games), for the Florida Panthers against the Dallas Stars. ... Flyers forward Gerry Mayhew left the game in the third period with a facial injury after crashing headfirst into the end boards following a breakaway. Yeo said he required stitches but was not badly injured. … Philadelphia is 0-7-1 on the road since Dec. 29, a 3-2 overtime win at the Seattle Kraken. … Seider scored his third game-winning goal this season, trailing Reed Larson (four in 1977-78) for the most by a rookie defenseman in Red Wings history.