Wings fail to protect two-goal lead, upended by Ducks, 6-4

This was two games in one, but in the end on Friday, the Red Wings’ poor part of the game was costly.

Anaheim scored four straight goals, including two in a 38-second span midway through the third period, leading the Ducks to a 6-4 victory over the Wings.

The Wings (7-8-1) led 3-1 early in the second period on Lucas Raymond’s goal, but Anaheim exploded from that team.

Cutter Gauthier and Ross Johnston both scored their first goals of the season – for Gauthier, his first in the NHL – to break a 3-3 third-period tie.

Alex DeBrincat cut the Ducks’ lead to 5-4 with his seventh goal — and the Wings’ third power play goal of the game — at 16:16 of the third period.

BOX SCORE: Ducks 6, Red Wings 4

But Anaheim’s Ryan Strome scored an empty net goal to end the scoring.

Coach Derek Lalonde told Fan Dual Sports Network that the game changed when the Wings held a 3-1 lead.

“We didn’t execute our game, and at 3-1 we had some turnovers and the game got away from us,” Lalonde said. “We took penalties (in the third period) and it felt like they were playing downhill. It turned around when we got a 3-1 lead.”

Anaheim goalie John Gibson made 21 saves in just his second start this season. Wings goaltender Alex Lyon stopped 23 shots but struggled in his first start since Oct. 30.

Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren scored first period power play goals and Raymond scored in the second period to give the Wings a 3-1 lead.

“This one stings,” said captain Dylan Larkin. “Two games in a row we had a two-goal lead and started to turn the puck over. We’re all not happy with the result. We needed to win that hockey game and we didn’t.”

Olen Zellweger, Trevor Zegras (power play) and Troy Terry (power play) added the Ducks’ goals.

Simon Edvinsson took a shot to the side of his right knee late in the second, played one shift in the third period and then left the game. Lalonde had no update on Edvinsson’s condition.

Kasper’s goal was his first in the NHL. After missing a good attempt minutes before, Kasper converted JT Compher’s feed near the circle at 7:59, giving the Wings a 1-0 lead.

Berggren pushed the lead to 2-0 with his second goal in two games. Vladimir Tarasenko found Berggren between the circle and the goal line and Berggren ripped a shot past Gibson at 19:16.

Raymond made it 3-1 just 1:05 into the second period. DeBrincat broke Raymond free with an outlet pass, and Raymond blew a shot past Gibson for just Raymond’s second goal of the season, first at even strength.

But the Ducks rallied with Zegras (second goal) cutting the lead to 3-2 late in the second period, and Terry tying the game at 3-3 with his sixth goal 3:54 into the third period, sparking Anaheim’s comeback.

The Wings play Saturday in Los Angeles (FDSN/97.1).

“Manage our game,” Lalonde said of what the Wings must do to bounce back Saturday. “Back-to-back games we had good starts and we played our game and built our leads and we came away from it.”

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Wings fail to protect two-goal lead, upended by Ducks, 6-4

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