Perron's 3rd-period hat trick lifts Red Wings past Penguins

THESE FOUR KIDS, DOMINIC ELECTRIC, LUKE CONKLIN, LOGAN FERRIS AND CHASE TAYLOR ARE BIG TIME PENGUINS FANS. IT WAS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE AND IT WAS JUST REALLY A GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND I STILL SORT OF GET AND MEET THE ENTIRE TEAM. THEY ARE FROM MAKE-A-WISH CHAPTERS IN CANADA, SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO AND PENNSYLVANIA, WEST VIRGINIA. AND THEIR WISH WAS TO SEE THEIR FAVORITE PLAYERS UP CLOSE. IT WAS A REALLY GOOD EXPERIENCE. BUT AS A VERY NERVOUS, I DIDN’T DO MUCH TALKING. BEYOND THAT, THEY GOT A SIGNING CEREMONY WHERE FOR A DAY GENERAL MANAGER RON HEXTALL DECLARED THEM OFFICIAL MEMBERS OF THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS. IT’S SO AMAZING FOR DOMINIC. THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN HARD FOR HIM. IT’S BEEN A LOT FOR OUR FAMILY. AND TO HAVE HIM HAVE A WHOLE DAY THAT HE JUST GETS TO CHOOSE WHAT HE WANTED TO DO AND SPEND THE DAY WITH THE PENGUIN. DOMINIC, A KINDERGARTNER, HAS STAGE FOUR NEOPLASTIC EMMA. HE HAS GONE THROUGH CHEMO, HAD A TUMOR REMOVED AND ENDURED TEN SESSIONS OF RADIATION. BUT HIS PARENTS SAY NONE OF THAT TOOK AWAY HIS PRIDE FOR THE PENGUINS. I MEAN, I HAVE PICTURES OF HIM LAST YEAR IN THE HOSPITAL IN PITTSBURGH WATCHING PLAYOFF GAMES WHILE THE CHEMO WAS DRIPPING IN HIS SHIRT. IN FACT, DOMINIC WANTS TO BE A PRO HOCKEY PLAYER HIMSELF. BOTH THE DAY EQUALLY AS MEANINGFUL FOR THE PLAYERS. I THINK IT JUST PUTS THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE AND, YOU KNOW, ANY TIME WE CAN DO THINGS LIKE THIS, I THINK GUYS ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO BE A PART OF IT AND DO WHAT THEY CAN TO HELP. SO THIS IS A PRETTY UNIQUE THING, A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR THE KIDS AND A LOT OF FUN FOR US TO BE A PART OF SUCH A GREAT TIME BY EVERYBODY THERE AND SWEETEN THE DEAL. THE FAMILIES AND THE BOYS WILL GET TO WATCH THE PENGUINS HOST THE NEW YORK ISLANDERS ON TH

David Perron had a hat trick in the third period and the Detroit Red Wings overcame the ejection of coach Derek Lalonde to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-4 on Tuesday night.Perron posted his ninth career three-goal game. He scored on a wrist shot early in the third, put Detroit ahead 5-4 on the power play with 3:40 left and added his 19th goal of the season 45 seconds later.“The biggest one of my career was obviously the one in the playoffs (with St. Louis) last year, but this one was special,” said Perron, a 16-year veteran. “I’ve gotten more in my 30s than I did in my early 20s, so maybe I’ve still got a couple left.”Lalonde was assessed a game misconduct during the second period. He profanely argued after unsuccessfully challenging Pittsburgh’s third goal on a claim of goalie interference.“I don’t remember that happening, and we had a couple guys in St. Louis who could get pretty wound up in Craig Berube and Steve Ott,” Perron said of a coac getting tossed. “(Lalonde) doesn’t usually say too much, so I’m not sure what happened.”Detroit squandered an early three-goal lead and won for just the fourth time in 16 games.“After (Lalonde) got thrown out, I thought the guys came together and played hard, inspired hockey,” said associate coach Bob Boughner, who ran the bench after the ejection. “That team over there is fighting for its playoff spot and they played hard and we were able to beat them.”Jonatan Berggren, Andrew Copp, Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Larkin also scored for Detroit. Alex Nedeljkovic, playing in his 100th game, made 35 saves.Jason Zucker, Jake Guentzel, Jeff Carter and Josh Archibald scored for Pittsburgh, which holds the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.Guentzel's goal was his ninth in the last 12 games. Evegni Malkin added two assists, giving him 40 points in 26 career games against Detroit.The Red Wings jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period.Berggren snapped an 11-game streak without a goal when he scored on a power play at 11:03 of the first. Following a Pittsburgh giveaway in its own zone, Copp scored 34 seconds later. He redirected a Moritz Seider shot from the point.Kubalik was credited with a goal when Gustav Lindstrom's shot from the point bounced off him and past screened goaltender Casey DeSmith.“I don’t know how to explain it. We got outplayed in that first period,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “What I did like was the response. I thought we responded the right way and climbed back into the game. It turns into a one-period game and then we didn’t get it done in the third.”The Penguins tied it during the first nine minutes of the second period.Zucker scored to put Pittsburgh on the board. Malkin's shot from the slot during a 5-on-3 situation deflected off Guentzel to make it 3-2. With Pittsburgh still on a power play, Carter scored on a shot that barely crossed the goal line.“Just have to move past it,” said DeSmith, who tied his season high for goals allowed. “Obviously, we didn’t miss the playoffs because we lost tonight. Plenty of more opportunities to come for the team and maybe for myself going forward. I just need to do better to help us get some points here.”GAME NOTESLalonde's ejection was just the third time since last season that an NHL head coach has been tossed. ... Detroit F Joe Veleno snapped a 20-game streak without the point when he assisted on Berggren's goal. ... Pittsburgh was 6-0-2 in its last eight games against Detroit. ... The teams play again in Detroit on April 8.UP NEXTPenguins: Begin three-game homestand against Nashville on Thursday.Red Wings: Host Carolina on Thursday.___AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DETROIT —

David Perron had a hat trick in the third period and the Detroit Red Wings overcame the ejection of coach Derek Lalonde to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-4 on Tuesday night.

Perron posted his ninth career three-goal game. He scored on a wrist shot early in the third, put Detroit ahead 5-4 on the power play with 3:40 left and added his 19th goal of the season 45 seconds later.

“The biggest one of my career was obviously the one in the playoffs (with St. Louis) last year, but this one was special,” said Perron, a 16-year veteran. “I’ve gotten more in my 30s than I did in my early 20s, so maybe I’ve still got a couple left.”

Lalonde was assessed a game misconduct during the second period. He profanely argued after unsuccessfully challenging Pittsburgh’s third goal on a claim of goalie interference.

“I don’t remember that happening, and we had a couple guys in St. Louis who could get pretty wound up in Craig Berube and Steve Ott,” Perron said of a coac getting tossed. “(Lalonde) doesn’t usually say too much, so I’m not sure what happened.”

Detroit squandered an early three-goal lead and won for just the fourth time in 16 games.

“After (Lalonde) got thrown out, I thought the guys came together and played hard, inspired hockey,” said associate coach Bob Boughner, who ran the bench after the ejection. “That team over there is fighting for its playoff spot and they played hard and we were able to beat them.”

Jonatan Berggren, Andrew Copp, Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Larkin also scored for Detroit. Alex Nedeljkovic, playing in his 100th game, made 35 saves.

Jason Zucker, Jake Guentzel, Jeff Carter and Josh Archibald scored for Pittsburgh, which holds the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Guentzel's goal was his ninth in the last 12 games. Evegni Malkin added two assists, giving him 40 points in 26 career games against Detroit.

The Red Wings jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period.

Berggren snapped an 11-game streak without a goal when he scored on a power play at 11:03 of the first. Following a Pittsburgh giveaway in its own zone, Copp scored 34 seconds later. He redirected a Moritz Seider shot from the point.

Kubalik was credited with a goal when Gustav Lindstrom's shot from the point bounced off him and past screened goaltender Casey DeSmith.

“I don’t know how to explain it. We got outplayed in that first period,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “What I did like was the response. I thought we responded the right way and climbed back into the game. It turns into a one-period game and then we didn’t get it done in the third.”

The Penguins tied it during the first nine minutes of the second period.

Zucker scored to put Pittsburgh on the board. Malkin's shot from the slot during a 5-on-3 situation deflected off Guentzel to make it 3-2. With Pittsburgh still on a power play, Carter scored on a shot that barely crossed the goal line.

“Just have to move past it,” said DeSmith, who tied his season high for goals allowed. “Obviously, we didn’t miss the playoffs because we lost tonight. Plenty of more opportunities to come for the team and maybe for myself going forward. I just need to do better to help us get some points here.”

GAME NOTES

Lalonde's ejection was just the third time since last season that an NHL head coach has been tossed. ... Detroit F Joe Veleno snapped a 20-game streak without the point when he assisted on Berggren's goal. ... Pittsburgh was 6-0-2 in its last eight games against Detroit. ... The teams play again in Detroit on April 8.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Begin three-game homestand against Nashville on Thursday.

Red Wings: Host Carolina on Thursday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Perron's 3rd-period hat trick lifts Red Wings past Penguins

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