Not only did the Detroit Red Wings pick up their eighth victory in their last eleven games, but veteran goaltender Cam Talbot picked up his first victory in his last seven starts.
He hadn't won since Detroit's overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 22, but that skid came to an end in a major way on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
As Talbot explained afterward, he was in a groove against the Capitals, particularly in the opening 20 minutes when Washington held a decided shot advantage. Several key saves allowed Detroit to limit the damage to a single goal before eventually prevailing 3–2 in overtime.
"I just felt like I hadn't necessarily cost us games, but I wasn't winning us games either," Talbot said of breaking his winless streak. "I wanted to come out and, like I said, I hadn't been making the big saves that I was making early on, but I felt like I was able to do that tonight. I made some big ones down the stretch and in the first period to give us a chance to get our feet under us.
"I was happy with our game, but the two points are what matter," he said. "I don't care if we win 7-6, or 3-2, a win is a win."
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Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan is overseeing Talbot for the third time in his career, having previously coached him while with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.
"This may sound odd, but I'm not too sure that he's overly rattled by not getting wins," McLellan said. "He comes to work every day, he does his work, and he gives us whatever he can. Anytime that you're in a bit of a slump, whether you're a goal scorer or a goaltender, and you come out of it, especially the way he did, it's gotta make him feel real good."
"But I don't think Talbs, based on how I know him, is significantly rattled," McLellan continued. "He knows that the wins are often done with 18 skaters and him, and the losses go that way, too. So, I don't sense any time of 'out of character' Talbs leading into the game tonight."
Talbot made five saves on Washington’s Alex Ovechkin alone, who overtook Wayne Gretzky last season as the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer and has already eclipsed the 900-goal mark this season.
"I mean, there's a reason why he keeps scoring 40 a year," Talbot said of Ovechkin. "Nobody's figured it out yet (how to stop his famous shot). I mean, you know where he'll be, but it doesn't make it any easier to stop. You just have to be prepared for it and know when he's on the ice, and just get over there and get as much of your body as you can in front of it."
With the victory, Talbot now has 275 to his name in the NHL.
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