Raymond scores twice, Red Wings hand Canucks ninth straight loss

VANCOUVER -- Lucas Raymond scored twice and had an assist in the first period for the Detroit Red Wings, who handed the Vancouver Canucks their ninth straight loss with a 5-2 victory at Rogers Arena on Thursday.

William Wallinder and Michael Rasmussen also scored for the Red Wings (4-3-3), who extended their point streak to six games (3-0-3). Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Viktor Arvidsson each had two assists.  

“We came out really hot,” Raymond said. “We came out playing with the puck, good O-zone time, and obviously we got rewarded for it.”

John Gibson stopped four of five shots in the first two periods but did not come out for the third period because he had something in his eye. Michal Postava, who was recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League earlier in the day because of an undisclosed injury to Daniil Tarasov, made seven saves in relief in his NHL debut.

“It's crazy,” said Postava, who flew out of Grand Rapids at 6 a.m. and arrived in Vancouver around noon after a stopover in Minneapolis. “I think it's for me the best option. I don't have time to think about anything, so yeah, I just warm up and be ready.”

Detroit coach Todd McLellan was also caught off guard by having to put Postava into his first NHL game. 

“Well, that's not the way we planned it and even with ‘Gibby’ I didn't find out until about 10 minutes left in the intermission,” McLellan said. “He had something in his eye. They're still looking at it, and so the EBUG is dressing, Michal's told he's going to play, and away he goes. Did a real good job, happy for him, and congratulations, you're in the NHL now.”

McLellan said after the game that Tarasov is day to day after getting injured in practice on Wednesday and Gibson’s eye issue is not believed to be serious.

“From what I understand, he’s OK,” McLellan said.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki had a goal and an assist, and forward Elias Pettersson scored for the Canucks (2-9-1), who are 0-8-1 in their past nine games. Kevin Lankinen made 26 saves.

“It's the same stuff game after game,” Vancouver forward Brock Boeser said. “I don't know where the disconnect is, if guys in here aren't listening to what the coaches are preaching on our style of play or some of our structure is not working or what it is. But it's embarrassing.”

Raymond put Detroit ahead 1-0 at 4:18 of the first period, deflecting an Albert Johansson point shot between his legs and over the blocker of Lankinen while skating towards the slot near the bottom of the left face-off circle.

“It's just kind of one of those that that comes at you in the moment,” Raymond said.

Wallinder made it 2-0 at 6:04 by banking a shot in off the back of Lankinen from the goal line after his cross-ice pass bounced back to him off Dylan Larkin.

Pettersson cut the deficit to 2-1 on the power play with a one-timer under Gibson’s left pad from the right dot at 7:02.

Raymond restored the two-goal lead with a power-play goal at 8:56. Alex DeBrincat threw the puck into the crease from the bottom of the left circle and the puck got caught under the right leg of Arvidsson as he got knocked down in the blue paint. Raymond pounced on the loose puck and backhanded it into an open net before Lankinen could cover it.

Raymond has five points (three goals, two assists) in the past two games after none in the previous four.

“He put himself in good spots tonight to score,” McLellan said. “I thought he did that last game. Even when he mishandled the puck a couple times three or four games ago, he was in the right spot. So now he's feeling good, the confidence is back where it should be, and hopefully he takes off.”

Rasmussen scored his first goal of the season with a deflection in the slot at 14:58 of the second period to make it 4-1.

The Canucks were outshot 13-0 in the second.

“There has to be a level of concern by the players to know that it's not good enough, and it's only going to get harder,” Vancouver coach Manny Malhotra said. “And the identity that we have as a team is very much a reflection of their attitude and what they're putting forth. So there has to be an acknowledgement at some point that it has to come from within.”

Emmitt Finnie pushed it to 5-1 at 4:00 of the third period, taking a drop pass from Arvidsson off the rush at the hash marks with speed and shooting over a falling Lankinen from the bottom of the left circle after the goalie lost an edge.

Vancouver got its first shot on goal since Pettersson’s goal at 6:16 of the third period, going almost 40 minutes between shots, which was met with sarcastic cheers from the crowd. 

Postava, 24, pretended the cheers were for him. 

“I’m just thinking they're grading my save,” he said. “I know it's been like five shots after two periods, so they just cheering about shots on net. I just get in my mind like they're cheering for me and just feel good.”

Lekkerimaki converted a cross-crease pass off the rush from Marco Rossi at 10:37 for the 5-2 final.

NOTES: Raymond became the first Red Wings skater with three points in a first period on the road since Andreas Athanasiou (three points; one goal, two assists on Jan. 5, 2017). ... Detroit forward J.T. Compher was plus-1 and had one assist and one shot on goal in 13:20 of ice time in his return to the lineup after missing seven games because of an undisclosed injury. ... DeBrincat has four points (two goals, two assists) in a three-game streak. ... Finnie has six points (three goals, three assists) in his past five games. ... Rossi played 9:38 and was minus-1 with one assist after missing the past two games with an illness.