RECAP: Red Wings fall to Devils, 6-2, in first regulation loss of season

DETROIT--The Detroit Red Wings had their season-opening five-game point streak end in a 6-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

After captain Dylan Larkin opened the scoring with a first-period goal for the second time in as many games, the Devils responded with four straight goals over the first two frames. Dominik Kubalik cut Detroit's deficit in half, 4-2, in the third, but New Jersey netted a pair later in the period to hand the Red Wings (3-1-2; 8 points) their first regulation loss of the season.
"It doesn't feel the best the way that the game went," said Larkin, who extended his goal streak to three straight contests. "I thought we did it to ourselves tonight. We have to be ready."
Adam Erne recorded an assist in his 300th career NHL game, while Alex Nedeljkovic made 35 for the Red Wings (3-1-2; 8 points).
This is the first season in the NHL's expansion era that Detroit became the last club to suffer a regulation loss. The last such occurrence came in 1962-63.
NEXT UP: The Red Wings will return to action on Thursday night against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.

SCORING SUMMARY

Detroit 1, New Jersey 0 (2:56, 1st period)
Erne's pass from center ice on the rush found Larkin, whose feed was deflected but still bounced to Kubalik. After Kubalik sent it back to Larkin, the Red Wings captain tipped it off Devils netminder Vitek Vanacek into the back of the net. It was Larkin's 12th game-opening tally since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, tied for most in the NHL over that span.

New Jersey 1, Detroit 1 (11:25, 1st period)
The Devils evened the score on a one-timer from the slot by Dawson Mercer, who was assisted by John Marino.
New Jersey 2, Detroit 1 (15:16, 1st period)
Jack Hughes cleaned up a rebound in front of Detroit's crease, giving the New Jersey a lead it did not forefit.
New Jersey 3, Detroit 1 (00:43, 2nd period)
A cross-ice pass from Hughes went to Jesper Bratt, who put the puck past Nedeljkovic for a power-play goal.
New Jersey 4, Detroit 1 (4:54, 2nd period)
Yegor Sharangovich extended the Devils' lead with a shorthanded snipe from the right faceoff circle.
Detroit 2, New Jersey 4 (8:17, 3rd period)
Kubalik, assisted by Robert Hagg and Michael Rasmussen, fired a one-timer from the slot that beat Vanecek, pulling the Red Wings back within a pair. Registering a goal and a helper against New Jersey, Kubalik recorded his fourth straight multi-point game.

New Jersey 5, Detroit 2 (15:38, 3rd period)
After receiving a feed from Tomas Tatar, Nico Hischier spun and scored from in front of Detroit's crease.
New Jersey 6, Detroit 2 (16:27, 3rd period)
Bratt's second goal of the night capped the scoring.

QUOTABLE

Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde on lessons learned from Tuesday's game
"We've had a good start, but this is a huge lesson. We are not good enough to have lapses in our game and to get away from what makes us successful."
Larkin on what Detroit struggled with against the Devils
"We had a good start, but we let the game turn into a turnover-fest. That's the way they wanna play. They're a good on the transition and they turnover pucks too, but they made us pay on our turnvovers."