DETROIT — Enveloped in sweat, his hair clumped in sticky bunches, Ruslan Salei pondered the question of how his short-handed, underdog Avalanche team knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions in their own building Monday night:
“Work,” the Avs defenseman said. “We just outworked ’em.”
The Avs, after a dispiriting home loss Friday, came into Joe Louis Arena and beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 behind backup goalie Andrew Raycroft. Jordan Leopold’s penalty-shot goal at 1:51 of the third period that made it 3-1 held up as the seldom- used, often-maligned Raycroft had easily his best game as an Av, stopping 34-of-36 shots.
“I was very, very happy with their response,” Avs coach Tony Granato said about the win following a 4-3 loss at home Friday to Chicago. “You usually find out what kind of a team you have the next game after something like that. They’re the defending Stanley Cup champs for a reason, and to come in here and play the way we played and get the two points was a great way to respond.”
It was Colorado’s first victory over Detroit, including playoffs, since March 4, 2007. A little pride, at least, is back in the Avalanche column in their long rivalry with the Wings.
The Avs were outshot 29-18 in the final two periods and had some hairy moments, but they were the better team for most of the game’s first 30 minutes.
Goals in the first five minutes of the game by Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny got Colorado off to a great start, and the Avs killed off a 5-on-3 Wings power play for 1:06 starting at the 6:31 mark of the period, with Salei and Brett Clark in the penalty box.
” ‘Rayzor’ played great,” Salei said. “Being up 2-0 after the first period is a lot different than if it was 2-1.”
Raycroft’s best save of the night was probably his chest stop of Henrik Zetterberg’s one-timer in close in the second period. Raycroft got a little luck when one Wings shot hit the crossbar on the 5-on-3, but otherwise was excellent, especially in the game’s final 10 minutes.
“For playing one game in the last month, I felt real sharp,” Raycroft said. “I’ve been working real hard in practice, and Hack (goalie coach Jeff Hackett) has been on my back and making sure that I’m doing the right things and giving me a lot of encouragement. It’s nice when it pays off, when you actually get in there. It’s nice.”
Leopold’s penalty shot was awarded after Detroit defender Brett Lebda closed his hand on the puck in the crease. Leopold, who was chosen by Granato to take the shot as his fourth line had been on the ice at the time, beat Wings goalie Chris Osgood up high on the backhand.
“Any time we ever have any sort of (shootout) competition in practice, he usually finds a way into the finals,” Granato said of Leopold. “We have him in the back of our mind for shootouts, and we felt confident with him.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
Avs Recap
Three stars
1. Andrew Raycroft.
Avs goalie made 34 saves for the win.
2. Jordan Leopold.
Avs defender scored a goal on a penalty shot and added an assist.
3. Tomas Holmstrom.
Wings veteran scored a goal in the second period.
What you might have missed
The Avs blocked 16 shots in the game. Detroit had only two.
Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
