Recap: Raymond tallies first NHL goal in Red Wings' 4-1 win over Columbus

DETROIT --In the end, Detroit Red Wings rookie Lucas Raymond made sure a largely dominant, yet previously scoreless offensive effort didn't last any longer.
Raymond scored his first-career NHL goal 6:17 into the decisive third period, breaking a scoreless tie and giving Detroit a lead it would not relinquish in an eventual 4-1 win over the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena.

"I'm probably going to save the puck somewhere. It's a special moment I've been looking forward to," Raymond said. "It was a great night, and a nice win."
The Red Wings shook off a standout performance from Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who made 35 saves. Detroit outshot the Blue Jackets by a commanding 45-23 margin in the game. Red Wings goalie Thomas Greiss made 22 saves to clinch his second win of the season.
The Red Wings (2-0-1) have tallied five of six possible points in the first three games of their season-opening homestand. Detroit will host the Calgary Flames to wrap up the stretch on Thursday night.

Asked what he has been pleased with the most throughout the first three games of the season, Blashill harkened back to his team's compete level.
"Each night, we've worked and competed," Blashill said. "Everybody kind of works, but I think we've had really, really strong work ethic and competitiveness in all three games. We're going to have to be. It's an every night league, and we're going to have to continue to do that."
Detroit controlled the early pace, throwing seven shots on net in the opening seven minutes. Both teams recorded quality chances in the back half of the first period, including an aggressive net-front shot by Tyler Bertuzzi following a nifty feed from Raymond at the 9:33 mark. With 5:46 remaining, Columbus' Yegor Chinakhov wristed an opportunistic shot in transition, but Greiss made the save sliding and falling to his left.

The first period ended in a scoreless tie, with Detroit owning a 13-8 advantage on shots. Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play.
The Red Wings drew back-to-back penalties in the 12th and 13th minutes of the second period, setting up a 5-on-3 power play with 6:40 remaining. Dylan Larkin tallied Detroit's best chance during the two-man advantage, attempting a wraparound shot that nearly crossed the goal line but was squeezed by Korpisalo.
The Red Wings outshot the Blue Jackets, 18-5, in the second period, building a 31-13 lead on shots through the first 40 minutes.
Detroit's offensive persistence paid off early in the third period, when it scored twice in a 2:36 span. Raymond's milestone tally came at the 13:43 mark after Nick Leddy received the puck near the blue line and advanced it to an attacking Larkin, who left the puck for Raymond near the right faceoff dot. Raymond beat Korpisalo up top to open the game's scoring.
At the 11:07 mark, Bertuzzi gave the Red Wings a 2-0 lead after scoring his fifth goal of the season. It was another skilled setup from Larkin, who tallied his second assist from near the blue line. Raymond also collected his second helper of the season on the play.

"It's always good to get it, and get it out of the way," Blashill said about Raymond's first career goal. "He made a really good play on the other goal - the pass that he made. Those are a couple of really dynamic offensive plays. The one thing he does pretty consistently is he plays a complete game. What that does is earn trust, and if you earn trust, you get minutes."
Columbus sliced its deficit in half, 2-1, at the 7:09 mark after a power-play goal from Boone Jenner. He received the puck from Jakub Voracek, who patiently backhanded the puck past Greiss.
The Red Wings put the game out of reach with a pair of empty netters in the final 1:14. Vladislav Namestnikov tallied the first after a patient play from Adam Erne, who was streaking up the left side of the ice and found Namestnikov in front of the Columbus defense. Namestnikov then returned the favor with just 9.9 seconds remaining, passing on another would-be goal by feeding the puck to Erne for his first tally of the season.
Thursday's puck drop against Calgary is set for 7:30 p.m. from Little Caesars Arena. The Flames picked up their first point of the season, but fell in a 3-2 overtime decision against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.