Detroit — The Kings played their grinding game, frequently possessing the puck, and the Red Wings hoped to play fast enough to skate freely and score some goals.
The Wings prevailed.
They beat the offensively-challenged Los Angeles Kings 3-1 Monday, despite being outshot 43-21 and Los Angeles pitching the ice against the Red Wings for stretches of the game.
After the Wings built a 5-1 lead in shots on goal towards the middle of the first period, the Kings outshot them 42-16 the rest of the way.
BOX SCORE: Red Wings 3, Kings 1
Dennis Cholowski opened the scoring, joining the rush and beating Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick with a sharp, top-shelf wrist shot in the first period.