A back-and-forth first period turned into a nightmare for the Detroit Red Wings as nine different St. Louis players netted goals in a 10-3 rout.
Chris Porter was shockingly the only player to score multiple times, notching a pair of goals and an assist, while Jaroslav Halak stopped 44 shots in goal for St. Louis.
Joey MacDonald had an absolutely horrendous night in net for Detroit, allowing seven goals on 39 shots for Detroit, but his teammates didn't do much to help him. Missed defensive assignments and lack of effort led to MacDonald being yanked after giving up five goals midway through the second period. MacDonald was visibly upset after being yanked, throwing his stick down the tunnel to the locker room.
Without Jimmy Howard or Chris Osgood, Thomas McCollum was forced into his NHL debut and promptly gave up three goals on eight shots, forcing MacDonald to return to the game.
Mike Modano actually scored the game's first goal, potting a rebound from a Tomas Holmstrom shot past Halak to give the Wings a 1-0 lead in the first period. St. Louis countered with less than 10 minutes left in the frame, as Chris Stewart and Cam Janssen scored less than two minutes apart to give the Blues their first lead. Just under two minutes later, Todd Bertuzzi redirected Johan Franzen's shot past Halak to tie the game.
It didn't last long. Porter stole a puck from Brian Rafalski at the Red Wings blue line and lined a shot over MacDonald's glove for a 3-2 lead, which was the last time the Wings were remotely in the game.