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Red Wings Persevere, Live to Fight Another Day

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2 days ago

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Dylan Larkin, Red Wings
Dylan Larkin's OT goal Saturday at Toronto kept the Red Wings playoff hopes alive.

In a game that would amount to a Cliff’s Notes version of the Detroit Red Wings season, the resilience that this club continues to display once again rose to the fore to save the day . . . and the season, for that matter.

Captain Dylan Larkin’s redirect of a Patrick Kane shot in overtime gave the Red Wings a 5-4 road victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. It also kept the flame burning on the club’s flickering playoff hopes.

“It’s just a sample size of what we’ve been going through,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin told Bally Sports Detroit.

With two games left to play in the regular season, the Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers each sit with 87 points. Washington is holding the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference via tiebreaker. Pittsburgh, 6-4 losers at Boston, are at 86 points.

In fact, had the Red Wings fallen to the Leafs in regulation time on Saturday, they would’ve been eliminated from postseason contention. Detroit will finish the season with two against the Montreal Canadiens – at home Monday and on the road Tuesday.

Red Wings Squander Fast Start

Just like late February, when the Wings were leading the playoff chase by a vast gulf of eight points, the first period couldn’t have gone much better for Detroit. The team took a 4-1 lead to the dressing room after 20 minutes, Alex DeBrincat would score twice in the frame, just his second and third goals over the past 21 games. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson potted his first of the season.

Then, much like the month of March when Detroit would endure an eight-game losing skid, the script was flipped. Netting three goals, Toronto would tie the game,

“I think in the second period we gave up a little too much, obviously,” DeBrincat said. “Didn’t play north enough and obviously it ended up in our net.

“Third period, we tried to get back to what we did in the first and thought we did a good job but obviously to win is huge for us.”

Red Wings Killers Come Up Huge

The Leafs would be given the chance to win it on a power play in the final moments of regulation time after Kane went off for high sticking. But they held firm against a Leafs power-play unit that had already counted twice in the game.

“I think I was on the ice for most of the penalty kill, so I was breathing through my eyes and just trying to gut it out,” Larkin said.

Then the story would do another 180. Toronto’s Max Domi went to the bin, setting the stage for Larkin’s OT winner.

Reimer A Winner In Milestone Game

Getting the start in what was his 500th NHL game, Detroit goalie James Reimer would make 32 saves to beat his first NHL team.

“We were happy to get it to the intermission with how the second period went,” Larkin said. “Our message was win a period, win a game.

“It ended up that it went a little bit extra but we got two points and Reims was a huge part of it in his 500th game. I can’t be happier for him.”

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Mike Babcock

They’re alive!

They’re alive!

For now anyways!

It didn’t look too good there when the Leafs had a Power Play with a few minutes left in the 3rd period.

But they somehow survived and scored a PP goal of their own!

Nice to see Cat score 2!

So Detroit has to win out and the Caps have to lose to Boston in regulation or OT.

LGRW! 😁

Last edited 2 days ago by Mike Babcock
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Stevie B

That game was like a microcosm of our season….build up a good position in the first third, blow it in the middle third, then somehow stagger across the line with a hero performance from the Captain.

If thats how our season actually ends I will not be complaining. Red Wings are the team who just will not give up and thats why I have refused to give up on them.

And the Toronto game didn’t surprise me btw. Everybody thought we’d lose that game. When people were going through our list of games to go, washington, pittsburgh, toronto, habs x2, a lot of people assumed we were losing the Toronto game. I didn’t. Know why? Because they’ve been doing this since the start of the season – they have been winning games they weren’t supposed to win. I remember Boston, and Tampa, and many others. The flip side of that is that they have also lost games they WERE supposed to win. I remember Arizona x 2. They have to make sure they get it done against the Habs. They’re expected to win those games, which is why I’m getting REALLY nervous.

Last edited 1 day ago by Stevie B
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AKscott

These playoff type games have shown me that the top of the Wings roster can hang with anyone. That’s a great sign for the future. Danielson is looking like a lock to become part of that top core group. He’s been absolutely on fire since the trade to the Winterhawks.

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