DETROIT — After a disappointing and disheartening loss in Chicago 48 hours earlier, coach Derek Lalonde was curious to see how his Red Wings would respond.
Would they still be discouraged from blowing a third-period lead in Chicago or motivated to turn things around?
Chances are Lalonde will be pleased.
Two power-play goals in the first period got the Wings going early and led them Sunday to a 5-1 victory over Anaheim at Little Caesars Arena.
Dylan Larkin and David Perron scored the first-period power-play goals. Joe Veleno, Dominik Kubalik (power play) and Elmer Soderblom added goals as the Wings dominated the special teams while extending their season-opening streak to five games (3-0-2) without a regulation time loss.
Goaltender Ville Husso stopped 32 shots to go to 2-0-1 on the season.
Trevor Zegras scored for Anaheim, his third goal of the season. Ducks goalie John Gibson made 36 saves.
Husso and the penalty killers came up big toward the end of the first period, killing a 1-minute, 31-second two-man Ducks advantage. The Wings barely let Anaheim get set up, and Husso made a key stop when called upon, maintaining a 2-1 lead after one period.
The Wings opened the scoring with an early power-play goal of their own.
With Anaheim's Nathan Beaulieu in the box just 18 seconds into the game for hooking Oskar Sundqvist, the Wings converted late with Larkin's goal at the 2:02 mark.
Kubalik's shot from the dot was stopped by Gibson, but the rebound went directly to Larkin alone in the slot. Larkin slammed the rebound past Gibson, giving the Wings a 1-0 lead.
But Anaheim quickly answered with Zegras tying the game.
Ducks forward Troy Terry took the puck to the net and was stripped of it though still managing to direct the puck toward Husso. The puck slid just past the crease, where Zegras poked it past Husso at 5:31.
After a Ducks power play went nowhere, the Wings capitalized on their chance.
Perron, who has been one of the Wings' most productive players early, one-timed a pass from Filip Hronek from Perron's favorite spot, by the hashmark.
Veleno extended the Wings lead to 3-1 early in the second period.
Adam Erne skated the puck down the wing and centered a pass that Veleno, coming down the slot, got his stick on and slipped the puck past Gibson at 4:07.
Kubalik added a power-play goal in the third period and is up to eight points (three goals, five assists) in five games. It's the most by a player beginning his Wings career through five games, since Paul Coffey had 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 1992-93.
