Eurolanche

Benoit scores in OT, Avs past Red Wings

The rivalry has fizzled since it peaked in the late 1990s, but it seemed oddly fitting to watch the Colorado Avalanche spoil the Detroit Red Wings' party on the night Nicklas Lidstrom's No. 5 was lifted to the rafters at Joe Louis Arena.

The Avalanche beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 in overtime Thursday following a 70-minute pregame ceremony to fete the seven-time Norris Trophy winner.

Andre Benoit ended it 4:28 into overtime with his fourth goal, which he roofed over Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard from the bottom of the left circle after a perfect feed from behind the net by rookie Nathan MacKinnon.

It was MacKinnon's 13th straight game with at least a point, breaking Wayne Gretzky's previous NHL record for consecutive games with a point by an 18-year-old. PA Parenteau scored to tie it 2-2 early in the third period with his 13th goal, and Matt Duchene had a goal and assist for the Avanlanche (41-17-5), who've won four straight games.

Niklas Kronwall and Tomas Jurco scored for Detroit (28-21-12), which picked up an important point despite the disappointing defeat in extra time.

Much of the game held a Lidstrom backdrop, as No. 5 was painted in red behind each net and in the rink's four corners -- not to mention on the newest banner hanging high above the ice.

Fittingly, on Lidstrom's big night, the game's first goal put Detroit up 1-0 at 12:33 of the first and was generated by three fellow Swedes, including two members of the defense corps Lidstrom anchored for 20 seasons. Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson and center Joakim Andersson assisted on Kronwall's seventh goal.

It felt like it was destiny for it to happen that way, and the goal highlighted a strong first period for Detroit, which came out looking a lot like the teams Lidstrom captained. The Red Wings outshot the Avalanche 13-8 and kept the puck in the offensive zone for extended stretches, making Giguere work to keep it a 1-0 game at the first intermission.

Oddly enough, the game's second goal also brought back memories of Lidstrom even though it was scored by Duchene to knot the game 1-1 midway at 10:11 of the second.

The scoring chance was keyed by the lively boards behind the net at the tunnel end of the rink. Lidstrom often utilized those boards for set-up passes to teammates around the net. The only difference was that Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson didn't do it intentionally. Instead, his shot deflected off Kronwall's skate, hit the boards and bounced right out front to Duchene, who caught just enough of it to send the puck into the net off Johan Franzen's skate.

The game's Lidstrom theme didn't end there.

Detroit moved back ahead 2-1 on Jurco's power-play goal 1:59 after Duchene had tied it. Fellow rookie Riley Sheahan, who centers Detroit's "Kid" line between Jurco and Tomas Tatar, hustled to collect a loose puck and fed his linemate a perfect pass.

Jurco buried it for the fifth goal of his NHL career, a day after Lidstrom told reporters the "Kid" line had become one of his favorite groups to watch back home in Sweden.

Credited with the secondary assist on Jurco's goal was defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who grew up near Detroit with Lidstrom as his favorite player and who was recruited by Lidstrom to sign with Detroit as a collegiate free agent from Western Michigan University.

DeKeyser, however, was beaten on the next goal. Parenteau boxed him out right in front of the crease and tied it 2-2 by backhanding a shot over Howard's right pad 5:49 into the third. It was Parenteua's 13th goal.

Each side had its chances in OT, including power plays for each team. The game appeared headed for a shootout until MacKinnon got the puck behind the net off a pass from Johnson, who finished with two assists. The talented rookie quickly spotted Benoit open in the left circle and threaded a pass between a defender and Howard's left pad that eventually led to the game-winner.

-- By Brian Hedger for NHL.com --

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Actual Lineup

Colorado Avalanche lineup from this game