#LGRW Final: Vrana's first goal with Detroit leads to 4-1 win vs. Chicago

DETROIT --Jakub Vrana scored his first goal as a member of the Detroit Red Wings to help the team extend their winning streak to three games with a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night.

Vrana, playing in his first game after being traded to the Red Wings on Monday from the Washington Capitals, scored on a breakaway to give Detroit the lead for good in the second period.
Defenseman Troy Stecher notched a pair of goals in the second period, Adam Erne tallied an assist to extend his point streak to eight games and Thomas Greiss made 24 saves to lead the way for Detroit. The three-game winning streak is the longest for the Red Wings since Nov. 8-12, 2019.

Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said he's been happy with the growth his team has shown since the beginning of the season.
"What I like is that we're a better hockey team today than we were at the beginning of the year," Blashill said. "A big impact on that is a number of our young players. I think we're playing the type of hockey that we've got to play to be successful. It's not perfect and we're going to keep working at it, but I think guys are improving and I think that's a positive thing for this organization moving forward."
The Blackhawks got the scoring started when defenseman Duncan Keith drove home a shot past a diving Greiss at the 14:47 mark of the first period to make it 1-0.
Detroit got the game even as Stecher collected the puck at center ice, gained the zone and fired a shot on Chicago goalie Kevin Lankinen that bounced off his shoulder and into the net at 4:49 of the second period.

The Red Wings took a 2-1 lead just 4:06 later as Vrana, serving a too many men on the ice penalty, came out of the penalty box and took a beautiful lead pass from Gustav Lindstrom and fired the puck past Lankinen.
"I think it helps a lot to be honest," Blashill said about Vrana scoring in his first game with the Wings. "I would probably lie to you guys and say it's not a big deal if he hadn't scored, but I think the reality is when you're a guy who's supposed to be counted upon to score and you can get that first one in, it lets you breathe a little bit, and the pressure doesn't mount."
Stecher finished the three-goal second period just 2:20 later as he accepted a tape-to-tape pass from Danny DeKeyser, deked his way to the net and stuffed the puck in to make it 3-1.
"We're connected as a five-man group on the ice and we're able to help those breakdowns," Stecher said about the difference for the Red Wings lately. "Seems like we're playing with some confidence in the o-zone. I think the biggest thing is confidence and having some fun."

The third period saw the Blackhawks push to try to get back into the game, but the Red Wings didn't give up an inch. With under a minute to go in the final frame, Michael Rasmussen put the game away with an empty-net goal.

The blue line for the Red Wings finished with two goals and four assists on the evening, contributing to a team-wide effort that has been paying off during the current winning streak.
"Everybody believes in each other in that room and we're going to transition out of this," Stecher said. "All these games are important for our group to continue to build and continue to grow and hopefully become a playoff team and contender."
The Red Wings and Blackhawks wrap up their season series on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena with puck drop at 7:00 p.m. You can catch all the action on Bally Sports Detroit Plus and the Red Wings Radio Network.