LOS ANGELES -- After Tomas Tatar knocked the rebound into the Kings net for Detroits tiebreaking goal, he kissed his index finger and pointed it skyward. In his first game since his fathers death back home in Slovakia, Tatar honoured him with a beautiful goal and a graceful gesture, sending the Red Wings on to an emotional victory. Tatar scored the winning goal with 7:54 to play in the Red Wings 3-1 win over Los Angeles on Saturday night. Tatar had an early assist on Riley Sheahans first NHL goal, and he completed a cathartic night by jumping on Sheahans shot in the slot and beating Jonathan Quick for a goal in his third straight game -- but the first since his father, 60-year-old Jan, died of a liver ailment. "That game and that goal was for him," Tatar said. "I felt he was with us the whole game. It wasnt easy, but the guys helped me a lot. They helped me think about stuff other than my dad." Tatar made the long trip home during Detroits holiday break to see his father, but he isnt sure whether Jan, a former soccer player, realized his son is headed to the Olympics next month. "I was hoping he could make it through," Tatar said. "I just wanted to work as hard as I could for my dad. This game was for him." Tatar will play for the Wings on Sunday night in Anaheim before heading home for his fathers funeral, missing a game against the Rangers next week. Detroit coach Mike Babcock praised the 23-year-olds quiet maturity. "The way you honour your father or your mother when they pass is by continuing to do what you should do," Babcock said. "Playing hard and doing things well. I lost my mom early, too. I never wanted to let her down. And his dad is here with him." Daniel Cleary also scored in the third period, and Jimmy Howard made 44 saves as the Red Wings slowed their recent slump by sending Los Angeles to its seventh loss in nine games. Howard made several big saves in the final minute as Detroit hung on for its second win in five games, but also injured his hip flexor, according to Babcock. Backup Petr Mrazek will start when the Red Wings face NHL-leading Anaheim. Drew Doughty scored his first goal in a month during a two-man advantage, but the Kings couldnt score in the final two periods of their third loss in 10 home games. Quick stopped 23 shots, but also gave up a juicy rebound on Tatars go-ahead goal. "We outshot them, but we had some scoring opportunities that we didnt get a good shot off," Kings forward Anze Kopitar said. "We were trying to do too much, and in a situation like that, were got to make sure we get a good shot off so that whoevers a couple of feet from the net can try to get the rebound. We just have to bear down a lot better." Cleary finished off the Kings by capitalizing on an opportunity created by Luke Glendening, who knocked Jake Muzzin to the ice and fed Cleary for his fourth goal with 2:34 to play. Los Angeles lost in regulation for the first time in four games on a five-game homestand. Quick hadnt lost in regulation since returning from a 24-game absence with a groin injury, but his teammates returned to their low-scoring ways after a four-goal outburst against Boston two nights ago. Los Angeles has scored more than three goals in a game just once since Dec. 19. "You cant win every game 1-0 or 2-1," Kings forward Justin Williams said. "Certainly we had enough chances to win the game tonight, but we didnt do it. The onus is on us to put the puck in the back of the net." After Doughtys goal late in the first period, Detroit evened it when Sheahan flipped home a puck in front while being checked to the ice, scoring his first goal in seven career NHL games over two seasons. The 22-year-old Sheahan was a first-round pick in 2010, playing three seasons at Notre Dame before winning a Calder Cup with the Wings AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids last year. Detroit recalled him from the AHL on Friday. "I wasnt able to really feel the feeling when I scored," Sheahan said. "But now Im pretty excited to go talk to my parents about it." NOTES: Detroit also won without veteran forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Daniel Alfredsson. Datsyuk missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury, while Alfredsson sat with back spasms. ... Kings F Jeff Carter played his 600th NHL game. ... The teams meet again in a week at Joe Louis Arena. Brian Dumoulin Penguins Jersey . Al Horford said all he had to do was make the catch near the basket and then shoot a soft jumper. Mark Recchi Jersey . - Wesley Matthews got a chance to practice his bow-and-arrow 3-point celebration on Sunday night. http://www.penguinsauthenticofficial.com/kris-letang-jersey/ . Leaning forward with both hands on his knees, Buffon appeared to be resting or somehow trying to withstand the rain. Or perhaps the 36-year-old goalkeeper and Italy captain was reflecting on this: He is only the third player in history to be part of five World Cup squads, along with Germany great Lothar Matthaus and former Mexico goalkeeper Antonio Carbajal. Michel Briere Penguins Jersey . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. Jack Johnson Penguins Jersey . -- Mike Shanahan gave Robert Griffin III a rest, and may have turned up the pressure on himself, too.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hi Kerry, In Game 2 of the Canadiens-Bruins series, could you explain how the interference to Tuukka Rask by Brandon Prust, which appeared to prevent him from getting back into position and be ready for Mike Weavers shot (which produced Montreals first goal) differed from the situation you described in the first series when Carey Price was interfered with and - as you answered then - was correctly waved off as a no goal? Thanks!Rhonda McClure Rhonda: The primary difference between the two plays, both of which resulted in significant contact with the goalkeepers inside their crease, is that Brandan Prust was pushed/cross-checked from behind onto Tuukka Rask by his defenceman (Andrej Meszaros) which negated interference on the goalkeeper as spelled out in rule 69.1 (If an attacking player has been pushed, shoved or fouled by a defending player so as to cause him to come into contact with the goalkeeper, such contact will not be deemed contact initiated by the attacking player for the purposes of this rule, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.) Prust had no opportunity to avoid contact with Rask after being shoved from behind by Meszaros. It is also important to note that Prust did not delay in getting up off Rask and then immediately vacated the goal crease. On the other hand, Alex Killorn of the Tampa Lightning initiated contact with Carey Price when he crashed the net with a deke and attempt to jam the puck past Price. (David Desharnais was behind Killorn but did not push, shove or foul the Tampa player so as to cause contact with Price as Meszaros did to Prust!) Following contact with Prices skate and pad Killorn rotated and fell into the back of the net. IIf the puck were to have entered the net on this segment of the play the goal should be disallowed based on the goalie interference initiated by Killorn.dddddddddddd. Alex Killorn suffered double jeopardy once the second incident of contact in the blue paint was clearly initiated by Price when the goalie launched himself into Killorn as the Tampa player was attempting to vacate the crease. This action by Price demonstrates the flaw in rule 69.3 which states; "If a goalkeeper, in the act of establishing his position within his goal crease, initiates contact with an attacking player who is in the goal crease, and this results in an impairment of the goalkeepers ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed." Following this allowable contact initiated by Price the goalie was unable to regain his position to defend the subsequent shot and the referee disallowed the goal. There is definitely a need to tweak rule 69.3 when a goalie initiates contact with an attacking player. It might even require that the referee(s) exercise their best judgment to determine the intent of the goalkeepers actions when contact is initiated inside the crease. If contact is legitimately initiated "in the act of establishing his position" to defend a shot then the goalkeeper should be entitled to that protection. If contact is initiated by the goalkeeper for any other purpose, as Carey Prices actions might indicate here, then a goal scored following this "incidental" contact should be allowed to stand. Given the glove hand/arm contact initiated inside the crease by goalkeeper Henrik Lundqvist onto the stick of Evgeni Malkin, perhaps the referees are already exercising their judgment in this area? Based on the current rule James Neals goal that rolled down Lundqvists back following his contact with Malkin should have been disallowed. ' ' '