Red Wings, newcomer Fabbri ready to take on Knights

Robby Fabbri provided instant offense to the Detroit Red Wings' anemic attack after he was acquired from the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

Detroit will hope for a pleasant encore when it hosts Vegas on Sunday afternoon.

In his Wings debut, Fabbri scored a pair of power-play goals in a 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Friday.

Fabbri had scored only one goal in nine games with the Blues this season, but the 2014 first-round pick energized a struggling team that had lost 11 of its previous 12 games.

"He looks like a guy that can score. He did a real good job with it," Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "He scored in the past. He did a great job as the bumper, finding the open space there, so it's a good start. Do we expect two goals every night? No. But I thought he played hard, he did the things he needs to do to be successful."

The trade reunites Fabbri, 23, with his former Ontario Hockey League teammate, Tyler Bertuzzi. They played together six seasons ago for the Guelph Storm.

It didn't take long for the duo to reignite their chemistry. Bertuzzi set up Fabbri on both goals, as Fabbri blasted one-timers past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask.

"It felt good to obviously play with Fabbs, and it didn't take long for our connection to come back." Bertuzzi told NHL.com. "He was good all in juniors, he was good for St. Louis when they won the Cup and he's going to be good with us here."

Fabbri recorded his first multi-point game since Jan. 2, 2017. Knee injuries marred his development with the Blues, but he's happy for a fresh start. Having Bertuzzi as a teammate again eases the transition for Fabbri.

"That was pretty funny. It brings back old memories," Fabbri said to NHL.com. "It was good to be back with (Bertuzzi). It was a lot of fun playing with him on and off the ice as well."

Both of the Wings' meetings last season with the Golden Knights were decided by one goal. They lost at home 4-3 and won in overtime at Las Vegas 3-2.

Vegas will be at a disadvantage after playing on Saturday night in Washington, where the Golden Knights were defeated 5-2. The Knights have lost four of their last five games.

"We're not playing with the swagger that we should be," forward Jonathan Marchessault said to the team's website. "There are glimpses of it, but we need to play simpler."

In their latest loss, the Golden Knights gave up two goals in the first six minutes. They were down just 3-2 entering the third period, but the offense stalled. Vegas hurt itself by allowing six power play opportunities to the Capitals.

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who made 29 saves, was upset at himself.

"I feel like I wasn't good," Fleury said. "I didn't make the key saves or I didn't change the game in a good way for us. I didn't make those key saves to keep the score close."

--Field Level Media