DETROIT -- Playing in his 700th career NHL game, captain Dylan Larkin recorded a power-play goal and an assist to help the Detroit Red Wings end a three-game winless streak with a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night.
“A huge win for us and memorable night for myself,” said Larkin, who registered his 12th multi-point game of the season and stretched his point streak to three consecutive contests. “I think it’s going to be memorable, the way we played, and hopefully we can build off that. Coming home after that [most recent four-game road] trip, and against a team we didn’t play well against before Christmas, to have a nice night like that is awesome for our team.”
Goalie Cam Talbot made 27 saves to earn his 12th win of the season for Detroit (22-21-5; 49 points), which logged a season-high 45 shots against Montreal (24-20-4; 52 points).
“He’s a true Red Wing,” head coach Todd McLellan added about Larkin. “Seven hundred games means a lot. Original Six team Detroit, so that’s really remarkable in my mind. And over and above all that, all the things he does for the team when he puts the equipment on, but also when he isn’t wearing the equipment. That’s likely why they’ve chosen him as the captain a while ago.”
Seven minutes into the first period, Jonatan Berggren scored Detroit’s first goal of the night and his eighth of the season. After Larkin outmuscled Lane Hutson along the boards, he sent a pass out to Berggren for a snap shot in the right face-off circle that made it 1-0.