Veleno ends lengthy scoring drought in 5–3 loss to Kings
![alt](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.wingsnation.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F7%2F2022%2F02%2FUSATSI_17607587-scaled.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
By Mike Gould
2 years agoDetroit Red Wings forward @Joe Veleno scored his first goal in 18 games during Wednesday’s 5–3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
![](https://cdnmedia.sendtonews.com/players/library/placeholder.png)
Veleno, 22, cut the Kings’ lead to 4–3 with 45.8 seconds remaining in regulation time. The rookie center picked up a slap pass from @Sam Gagner right in front of Kings goaltender @Jonathan Quick and out-waited the veteran goaltender before flipping the puck into the top-right corner of the net.
@Gemel Smith also assisted on Veleno’s goal for his first point as a Red Wing in his first game with the team. Veleno now has four goals and six points in 31 games this season.
@Michael Rasmussen and @Tyler Bertuzzi also scored for the Red Wings, which fell to 20–21–6 with the loss. Wednesday’s game was Detroit’s final game before the 2022 NHL All-Star break.
@Phillip Danault scored twice for Los Angeles, which also received goals from @Arthur Kaliyev, @Viktor Arvidsson, and 2022 All-Star @Adrian Kempe. The Kings (24–16–7) out-shot the Red Wings 45–25.
In his return to Little Caesars Arena, former Red Wings forward @Andreas Athanasiou took two shots and was a minus–2 in 14:25 of total ice-time.
Detroit struggled to generate chances for much of Wednesday’s game, even beyond the wide disparity in shots. The Kings out-chanced the Red Wings 26–14 through the first two periods (according to Natural Stat Trick); the high-danger chances also favoured L.A. 12–7.
The Red Wings entered the third period trailing 2–1 and made a significant push to try and swing things in their direction, controlling 73.07% of the expected goals and 83.33% of the high-danger chances in the final 20 minutes. Nevertheless, L.A. outscored Detroit 3–2 in the final frame.
With the exception of the All-Star-bound @Dylan Larkin, the Red Wings will take the next week off before returning to the ice in Philadelphia on Feb. 9.
More from WingsNation
- Revisiting the Athanasiou trade before he returns to Little Caesars Arena
- Moritz Seider is better than Trevor Zegras
- Pius Suter’s unique career trajectory has continued upward in Detroit
THIS ARTICLE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DAILYFACEOFF
![](https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/6X0Dv3_3PYFPZkrLaCbWeYHXMWzAuuXH7t2JLsFB1K2CKHzv26F60yZHHLRR12FCRBsmykWDyeegP6hZLXPKs-Eh0ldWPAdIalTDjc6NK66QBuw7_5ft-rH7CN3uSSVIFr216hvo7Hon19ua7JUBjO1KV9pf7iUjZeLTRUvNVMf6EPrRW0k=s0-d-e1-ft#https://i1.wp.com/publish.oilersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/DailyFaceoff-Fantasy-Tools.png?resize=796%2C265&ssl=1)
Looking to up your fantasy hockey game? DailyFaceoff has the tools you need for both daily and season-long fantasy leagues, including a lineup optimizer, daily projections, and a whole lot more. Sign up for the DailyFaceoff tools here.
Recent articles from Mike Gould