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Thursday, Oct. 7 8:00pm ET
Red Wings bash Thrashers 7-1 | |||||
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BOX SCORE
ATLANTA (AP) -- It was only the third game, so Steve Yzerman wasn't pressing yet.
But the veteran who had scored 592 goals in 15 previous seasons, was scoreless in Detroit's first two games. That ended quickly Thursday night as Yzerman scored the Red Wings' first goal to ignite a three-goal opening period and Detroit went on to a 7-1 victory over the expansion Atlanta Thrashers. "I think every player likes to get the first one early," said Yzerman. "It was only the third game, a little too early to press. If you go 10 or 12 games, then you press." It was the second NHL game for the Thrashers, who lost 4-1 in their debut Saturday to New Jersey at Philips Arena. Yzerman also had a pair of assists as the Red Wings won for the second time in three starts. Despite the score, Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman, wasn't calling it a rout. "They're not easy games. We're fortunate we got a quick lead on them. If they get a few bounces, they make a game of it," he said. Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood, however, wouldn't let that happen, stopping 27 of 28 shots. Osgood left the game with 6:18 remaining in the third after he collided with Thrashers captain Kelly Buchberger. Osgood, who was replaced by backup Ken Wregget, left because his right leg began to cramp. Although Osgood injured his right knee during last season's playoffs, he said after the game it wasn't bothering him and that he won't miss any time. "By playing teams like this early, it really magnifies the things that we are not capable of doing very well," said Thrashers coach Curt Fraser. The Red Wings, who made it to the Western Conference semifinal round last season, had won the Stanley Cup the previous two seasons. "When you get a team with that much skill out there, there is a lot of pressure on your defense and we didn't look very sharp tonight, even though everyone was trying as hard as they could," said Fraser. Yzerman also assisted on Detroit's second goal, that one coming from in close from Igor Larionov. Vyacheslav Kozlov scored the third goal with Larionov getting an assist on that one. The Thrashers averted a shutout when Petr Buzek beat Osgood on a 30-foot slap shot 2:23 into the final period. The Red Wings, however, broke it open by scoring three goals in 3:33 for a 6-1 lead before a sellout crowd of 18,545. Steve Duchesne scored at the 5:23 mark, Yzerman assisting. Sergei Fedorov followed with another goal only 56 seconds later for a 5-1 lead. Tomas Holmstrom, who assisted on Fedorov's goal, knocked in a 15-foot slap shot after 8:56 and Doug Brown, with an assist from Holmstrom, made it 7-1 with a goal with 1:08 left. The Red Wings (2-1) peppered Thrashers goaltender Norm Maracle for a dozen shots in the opening period with Yzerman, who has led Detroit in scoring 10 times in his 16 NHL seasons, beating the former Red Wings goalie from in close after only 6:50. Maracle, taken by the Thrashers in the June expansion draft, had played in 20 games for Detroit during the previous two seasons. Larionov made it 2-0 at 11:56 by knocking one past Maracle from just to the side of the net with Yzerman and Larry Murphy getting assists. Kozlov closed out the first-period scoring with a rebound goal after 15:38. Red Wings forward Darren McCarty, ended his holdout earlier in the day by signing a three-year, $5.4 million deal. He was in uniform and played sparingly. | ALSO SEE NHL Scoreboard Detroit Clubhouse Atlanta Clubhouse McCarty ends holdout, joins Red Wings on the road
Red Wings' Maltby out with hernia, might need surgery
RECAPS Ottawa 4 Boston 3
Detroit 7 AUDIO/VIDEO   Igor Larionov beats Norm Maracle.avi: 626 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Chris Osgood denies Ray Ferraro of a goal.avi: 582 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 Vyacheslav Kozlov deflects Larry Murphy's shot for the goal.avi: 541 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1 | |||||
