Honestly, if the Detroit Red Wings are going to make the Stanley Cup playoffs, were you actually thinking they’d be doing so any other way than the path they are choosing?

That would be the hard way.

They’re proven time and again this season that it’s the only way they know how to do things. And somehow, some way, they keep on finding a method to make it work.

They did so again on Monday at Little Caesars Arena. Needing at minimum a point to maintain their pursuit of a postseason position, the Red Wings were trailing the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 late in the second period.

When all was said and done, however, it was Detroit that would ultimately prevail, by a 5-4 count in overtime.

It was the third straight OT game for the Red Wings. As well, it was the 13th time this season they’ve been able to rally from a third-period deficit to claim victory.

Red Wings Keep Stayin’ Alive

No one can question this team’s competiveness.

Their defensive acumen, their ability to start on time? Yeah, go ahead and question that all day long.

However, this team possesses an inate ability to keep on fighting and find a way to overcome their own shortcomings.

Red Wings center J.T. Compher described it as a combination of desperation and belief.

“The biggest thing is we still believed in each other and the group,” Compher said. “We never gave up.

LUCAS RAYMOND, TWICE IS SO NICE!

After netting the tying goal, Lucas Raymond secures a MASSIVE two points for the @DetroitRedWings with the @Energizer overtime winner to keep them in the #StanleyCup Playoffs Wild Card race! pic.twitter.com/mFWrq5YdnZ

— NHL (@NHL) April 16, 2024

“Down three goals, we’ve come back. I don’t know what the number is, but Newsy (coach Derek Lalonde) said it after the second intermission that we’ve done it a lot this year.

“When you do things consistently, that’s what causes the belief that we can get back into the game and get the two points we needed.”

Red Wings Don Rally Caps Yet Again

Consider Detroit’s last three games as Exhibits A, B and C in this belief system. Down 5-3 at Pittsburgh on Thursday with 6:51 left in regulation, the Red Wings would score twice to force overtime. They got a point from a 6-5 setback.

Saturday at Toronto, they would squander a 4-1 first period lead, but win 5-4 in OT. Monday, it was once more time again for the Wings to don their rally caps.

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' #LGRW pic.twitter.com/cgqWcLcnv7

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 16, 2024

Compher’s second goal of the game at 15:59 of the second frame would narrow the deficit to 4-2. Alex DeBrincat scored midway through the third period. Then with the goalie pulled, Lucas Raymond would tie the score at 18:43. Raymond’s goal at 4:25 of OT was the decider.

Living To Fight Another Day

It’s still an uphill battle for Detroit, but the Red Wings remain in with a chance. Washington is holding the final Eastern Conference wild card with 89 points. That’s the same total as the Wings. However, the Capitals win the tiebreaker with Detroit, which is regulation wins.

Detroit must win Tuesday at Montreal and hope that Washington gets no more than one point at Philadelphia. That’s the easier path to the playoffs for the Wings.

Should they get one point at Montreal, the Red Wings would need Washington to lose in regulation at Philly and Pittsburgh to get no more than one point in the club’s regular-season finale on Wednesday against the New York Islanders.

Detroit loses every playoff tiebreaker, so the Wings must finish ahead in points to make the playoffs.

“We know what we need to do,” Compher said. All (Monday) did was give us an opportunity to finish the job (Tuesday).

“We’ll control what we can control, which is our game. But all we did was give ourselves a chance to finish the job (Tuesday).”

The post Red Wings Remarkable Comeback Win; Keep Doing Things The Hard Way appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Captain Dylan Larkin succinctly summed up what the Detroit Red Wings require from their remaining two games on the schedule.

“We need four (points),” Larkin said.

Yes they do. And yet, it still might not be enough to get them to the promised land of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Currently, Detroit, Washington and Philadelphia are all deadlocked with 87 points. Pittsburgh is a point back as all four clubs duel for the second wild card spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. The Penguins, Capitals and Red Wings all have two games to play. For the Flyers, there’s only one game left to go.

Here’s a look at the various methods through which Detroit can end up in the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Red Wings Playoff Scenarios

Were the Red Wings to win both of their remaining games, they’ll finish with 91 points. If that happens, then:

• Washington must lose one of its two remaining games in any fashion and finish with no more than 90 points.
• In this scenario, it wouldn’t matter what Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the New York Islanders (89 points, currently third in the Metropolitan Division) do.

If Red Wings and Washington both win their final two games, Detroit would need the Islanders to gain no more than one point in their final two games. In this scenario, the Capitals would finish third in the Metropolitan Division with 91 points. That would be earning Washington the tiebreaker over the Islanders based on more regulation wins.

After their win last night, the @Capitals have slid into the second Wild Card spot in the East!

Watch the #StanleyCup Playoffs on @espn and @NHL_On_TNT starting April 20th.

Bracket Challenge presented by @betwayusa pic.twitter.com/2PKl36KEfQ

— NHL (@NHL) April 14, 2024

The Red Wings would earn the wild card spot with 91 points, winning the tiebreaker with the Islanders either due to more regulation wins or more regulation/overtime wins. It wouldn’t matter what Pittsburgh and Philadelphia do.

Three Points Wouldn’t Necessarily Finish Detroit

If the Red Wings gain three of a possible four points, they would still have two pathways to the playoffs:

They would need Washington to gain no more than two points in its final two games and for Pittsburgh to lose one of its two games in any fashion. In this scenario, Detroit would have 90 points, and Washington, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia a maximum of 89.

An ELECTRIC win for the @DetroitRedWings last night moves them one spot closer to the playoffs@MoneyPuckdotcom playoffs odds:@Capitals: 34.7%#RedWings: 26.2%@NHLFlyers: 22.4%@penguins: 20.6%#LGRW pic.twitter.com/la31fuPXA4

— Gamble Online Michigan (@GambleonlineMI) April 14, 2024

Or:

They would need the Islanders to lose both of their remaining games in regulation and Pittsburgh to lose in regulation to Nashville. Washington, with 90 points, would finish third in the Metropolitan Division by owning the tiebreaker with the Islanders (more regulation wins). The Red Wings, with 90 points, also would own the tiebreaker with the Islanders based on either more regulation wins or more regulation/overtime wins.

Two Points Won’t Do It

There is no scenario through which the Red Wings can reach the playoffs by gaining only two points to finish with 89. That’s because Washington plays Philadelphia on Tuesday.

This gurantees that one of those clubs is assured of having 89 points. Both own the tiebreaker with Detroit.

The post Here’s How The Red Wings Make The Playoffs appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

People will tell you that on paper, the Detroit Red Wings are left with the easiest slate of games among the four teams competing for the second Eastern Conference wild card spot in the NHL playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Red Wings will quickly be reminding everyone that NHL games are decided on the ice, not on paper.

“We’ve got Montreal and that’s dangerous the way they’ve been going,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was quick to point out.

"We need to show up and have our foot on the gas. That’s been the attitude.”

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 14, 2024

Out of the postseason picture, the Montreal Canadiens are merely playing spoiler down the stretch. And they’ve been doing plenty of spoiling.

Montreal is 5-4-2 over the past 11 games. By comparison, Detroit is 3-4-3 over the past 10 games. Washington is 3-5-2 and Philadelphia is 2-6-2. Two of those losses were dealt to the Flyers by the Canadiens.

Only Pittsburgh (7-1-2) can boast of a better run of late than the Canadiens among the four competitors for the eighth seed in the East.

Coucou c'est Cole

Cauf them off guard#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/AmLBiLpotL

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 14, 2024

The Wings know all about playing the spoiler. It’s been their role down the stretch over each of the past seven seasons. Playing free and clear of pressure is an entirely realm to the pressure-packed existence Detroit is currently living.

“We’ve been in that position that they’re in and it’s a whole different ballgame of what we’ve been playing, these playoff-style games,” Larkin said.

That element alone can make the Canadiens a very dangerous opponent.

Montreal Has Given Red Wings Fits

The two teams are meeting Monday at Little Caesars Arena, where the Canadiens have made themselves at home. Over the last 11 clashes at LCA between Detroit and Montreal, the Red Wings are 4-4-3. Detroit is 0-0-1 this season and 0-0-2 through the past two contests.

Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde’s gameplan for his club on Monday is to ignore the big picture and think small.

“Play the right way,” Lalonde said. “We can’t look at it as two games. It’s about that first period at home on Monday night, getting a good start.

“Our starts have been good of late. Stay composed, narrow our focus and that narrow focus will be our first period.”

The Red Wings have actually been faring better at Montreal against the Canadiens. They won 5-4 in overtime there in December and are 3-0-0 through the past three games at the Bell Center. However, Detroit is just 5-6 in the last 11 games at Montreal.

Red Wings Need Four Points

It was Meat Loaf who warbled that two out of three ain’t bad. However, in the case of the Red Wings and their playoff hopes, three out of four is the bare minimum requirement for survival.

Washington, Detroit and Philadelphia all have 87 points, one better than Pittsburgh. But the Capitals and Flyers clash in the season finale for both clubs. That guarantees one of those teams will be finishing the season with no less than 89 points.

Since the Red Wings lose the tiebreaker for the final playoff spot, they’ll have to get to no fewer than 90 points to hold a chance of qualification.

“We need four (points),” Larkin was expressing.

That being said, even going four-for-four over the next two games might not be enough for the Wings. If Washington and Detroit both win out, the Capitals and Red Wings will each have 91 points. But the tiebreaker goes the way of the Caps.

Bottom line, Detroit does require two wins and some help. And the Red Wings shouldn’t be counting on the Canadiens being helpful to their cause.

The post Red Wings Facing Tough Test In Canadiens appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings are left with two must-win games remaining on the NHL schedule in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. And as they arrive are Game 81 of the campaign, they are still facing the same question they’ve been dealing with for much of this season.

They don’t know who their go-to goalie is.

Left with a home-and-home set against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday-Tuesday to close out the regular season, do the Red Wings stick with veteran James Reimer? He got the win on Saturday in Toronto in his 500th career NHL game, drawing rave reviews from the team.

Transforming into a member of the 5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ NHL games played club.

Congratulations to @DetroitRedWings goaltender James Reimer! pic.twitter.com/lFtDnW8lFX

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) April 13, 2024

“The ultimate teammate,” was how captain Dylan Larkin was describing Reimer to Bally Sports Detroit. “He’s got the best attitude, coming to the rink with a smile.

“He gave a great speech after the game about how lucky he was to play one game, let alone 500.  It was a great locker room atmosphere after that game.”

Clearly, Reimer is giving the club a boost during his limited opportunities to work between the posts.

“He just battles,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “No matter what happens, we know we’re gonna get the most out of him and when he battles, I think it just lifts the group.”

He’s 7-2 over his last nine decisions. However, the 36-year-old puckstopper has been given successive starting assignments just once since late December.

Lyon Carrying Load For Red Wings

Since returning from injury in late December, journeyman veteran Alex Lyon, 31, has been seeing the bulk of duty between the pipes for Detroit. He’s been in the net in 36 of the last 45 games played by the Red Wings.

This season, Lyon has established career highs for games (43), wins (20) and shutouts (two).

“It speaks volumes for him as an individual, where he is in his career,” Lalonde said. “He’s a career minor leaguer. He was signed to be our starter in Grand Rapids and here he is giving us a chance this late in the season.

“It speaks really well on him.”

However, Lyon’s numbers of late aren’t tracking toward success. He’s 2-10-3 over his last 15 decisions. Granted, wins and losses by a team don’t rest solely on the shoulders of the netminder. Still, Reimer is coming off a big win. Will the Wings ride with him at home on Monday?

Husso Was Supposed To Be The Guy

At the outset of the season, Ville Husso was the de facto No. 1 goalie for Detroit. However, a pair of lower-body injuries have put him on the shelf for all but nine minutes of action since Dec. 18. Husso was to play a rehab assignment Friday with AHL Grand Rapids. However, he didn’t make it through the warmup. Lalonde indicated that Husso suffered a tweak to his injury.

@DetroitRedWings goalie Ville Husso was scheduled to start for @griffinshockey & did take warm ups but then left the ice a bit early. We are told he will no longer start nor dress tonight. @SebastianCossa will now start, riding a personal franchise record 19 game point streak pic.twitter.com/EZFn4OdDmf

— Larry Figurski (@larryfigurski) April 12, 2024

That the Red Wings are contending for the playoffs without a true No. 1 goalie is a tribute to the work that Lyon and Reimer are delivering.

“There will be a lot to reflect back on this season,” Lalonde said. “For us to lose our starting goaltender and for us to be as competitive as we’ve been in that position speaks volumes on both those guys.

“They’ve been excellent for us.”

The post Do Red Wings Have Goalie Controversy? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Detroit Red Wings fans have two games to worry about on Monday. If the Red Wings take care of their business Monday and beat the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena, they still need the Bruins to beat Washington to move into the second Eastern Conference wildcard spot. Detroit has another game in Montreal on Tuesday. Detroit has beaten Montreal once in overtime and lost once in OT in two meetings this season.

The Monday scenario is only possible because the Red Wings rose up Saturday to pull off a 5-4 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bob Duff offered a good read on the victory, which included Detroit building, and then losing, a three-goal lead.

Duff called the game the “Cliff Notes” of the Detroit 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,” Duff wrote.

Dylan Larkin scored in OT for what may be the biggest goal of his career.

“You can’t feel any better,” Larkin said. “I knew Kaner was gonna look for that play. Just had to have my stick on the ice and he was gonna hit it. I didn’t even see it go in but I just saw Kaner. All the big moments he’s had in his his career, to see how excited he was, see all the boys rush over. Man, what a feeling.”

The Red Wings continued to play without injured Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp. They are key players for Detroit’s penalty killing and checking strategy. Copp has a broken cheekbone and Rasmussen’s injury has been called an upper body issue. The Red Wings have the day off today, meaning there will be no update until Monday morning.

DYLAN LARKIN Potentially season saving goal. Unbelievable. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/LlS6lpGpDU

— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) April 14, 2024

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Defenseman Shai Buium, a Red Wings second-round draft pick, earned his second NCAA title playing with Denver. Two years, he was on the team with Detroit prospects Carter Mazur and Antti Tuomisto.
• Why the NHL tiebreakers work against coach Derek Lalonde’s Detroit squad.
• Ville Husso tried to play a game with the Grand Rapids Griffins as a step toward returning to the Red Wings’ lineup. But he had a setback in the pregame warmup and didn’t play.
• Paywall story: Tim Robinson wrote about Axel Sandin Pellikka’s impressive season, noting that he wouldn’t even be in the sport if his grandfather hadn’t intervened when he was young.  To subscribe, click here.Use the promo code kevin10 to get $10 off the yearly subscription price.

Red Wings Next Game

The Red Wings are tied with the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. Each team has 87 points. Both the Capitals and Flyers have a tiebreaker advantage (regulation wins) over Detroit. The Flyers have one game remaining, while Detroit and Washington have two. What it means: If the Red Wings win both of their remaining games against the Montreal Canadiens, they still need help. To qualify for the playoffs in that scenario, the Red Wings still would need the Capitals to earn three or fewer points in their two remaining games.

Hockey Now Network

Colorado: Defenseman Sean Behrens (drafted 61st overall in 2021) is on the Denver team that just won their second NCAA tournament in three years. He has 31 points in 44 games. Will the Colorado Avalanche sign him? Evan Rawal has the story.

Chicago: The Chicago Blackhawks signed creative college forward Frank Nazar out of Michigan. It’s possible he will get a game or games with the Blackhawks. Nazar had 41 points in 41 games with the Wolverines.

Florida: Sam Reinhart scored in overtime to give Sergei Bobrovsky the win his 700th career NHL game in goal. The Florida Panthers are now guaranteed home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Nashville: Nobody should overlook the Nashville Predators as a playoff threat. They have learned much during this journey to the post season.

Pittsburgh: Why did the Pittsburgh Penguins pull former Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic in the loss to the Boston Bruins. Dan Kingerski has the story.

San Jose: The San Jose Sharks‘ 6-2 loss to the Minnesota assures them the best draft lottery odds for the hope of drafting Macklin Celebrin.

The post The Daily: Red Wings Need Help From Bruins; Penguins Pull Ned appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

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.

IT JUST HAD TO BE HIM! Captain @Dylanlarkin39 buries the overtime winner, and the Red Wings are still Stayin' Alive! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/cH0fOElmLm

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) April 14, 2024

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.

Twice as nice! @Brinksy97 buries a rebound past Ilya Samsonov for his second goal of the 1st period! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/36PAbZq98n

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) April 13, 2024

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.”

The post Red Wings Persevere, Live to Fight Another Day appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The old saying is that a tie is like kissing your sister but if it comes to NHL postseason tiebreaking scenarios, the Detroit Red Wings might as well kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.

Looking though the tiebreaking situations the league would employ to break any deadlocks between two or more teams, the Red Wings come out on the short end of the equation.

It's a VERY tight race for the final #StanleyCup Playoffs spots in the East.

Which teams will make it in? pic.twitter.com/iHQEQ0fdhL

— NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2024

Currently, the Pittsburgh Penguins are sitting in the cat bird’s seat for the final Eastern Conference wild card with 86 points. Detroit, the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers all have 85 points.

All four teams are in action on Saturday. Detroit is playing at the Toronto Maple Leafs. Every team save the Flyers show three games remaining on their schedules. Philadelphia is left with just two games to play.

“There’s a path,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. “It’s going to be difficult but I know this group has it in us.”

Yes, there is a path to the playoffs for the Red Wings. But it’s going to be a bumpy road, one that won’t be easily navigated.

And if it comes down to a tiebreaking formula, it simply doesn’t add up well at all for Detroit. No wonder that the latest playoff odds are showing the Red Wings with a 15.8% chance of being participants.

Red Wings Lose Key Tiebreaker

The first tiebreaker is regulation wins. Detroit owns 27 of those. Pittsburgh has 31, with Washington and Philadelphia each at 29 regulation victories.

Were the Wings to somehow manage to gain a tie in regulation wins, things to do get a bit better for them. The second tiebreaker is regulation plus overtime wins (the ROW column in the NHL standings). Here, Detroit has 36, and Pittsburgh is at 35. Washington and Philadelphia are each at 33.

The third tiebreaker is all types of wins. Detroit has 38 of those. That’s one better than all three of the other teams.

However, it’s wise to remember that it’s unlikely any deadlock will get past the first tiebreaker. Here’s some things that we do know for sure.

Petry in the final minute of the 2nd. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/u7LwoOsEYe

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 12, 2024

It’s almost a certainty that Detroit will need to finish the season at minimum with 88 points in order to make the playoffs. That’s because Washington is facing Philadelphia in the regular-season ender for both clubs. In other words, one of those teams is guaranteed to get another win and finish with no less than 87 points.

In this scenario, the Red Wings would need to garner at least three points from the club’s three remaining games. But should Pittsburgh win even one more game, then the Wings would need to get to 89 points, because there’s absolutely no way to win a tiebreaker with the Penguins. That would require four of the maximum six points still up for grabs.

“With three games left we still have a shot at this,” Detroit forward Lucas Raymond said.

Yes they do, but anyone doing the math would have to admit it’s a long shot at best.

The post Red Wings up Against it When it Comes to Playoff Tiebreaker appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings aren’t out of the race for the NHL’s second Eastern Conference wild card playoff spot. At the same time, to gain that position, they are going to need help.

The Red Wings are sitting with 85 points. That’s the same total as the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers. It’s one behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, holding down the second wild card placing with 86 points. Pittsburgh’s 6-5 overtime victory over Detroit on Thursday is currently the difference maker in this race.

LUCAS RAYMOND HAT TRICK!!! pic.twitter.com/0Z1fPr8JiZ

— NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2024

“I know it doesn’t feel good right now but there’s still a path there,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said.

Detroit, Pittsburgh and Washington each have three games to play. Philadelphia is down to two games on the club’s remaining ledger.

Another factor that’s problematic for the Red Wings is that they lose the first tiebreaker to every one of these teams. That’s regulation wins and Detroit has 27 of them. Philadelphia and Washington each have 29, while Pittsburgh owns 31.

What this means is that the Red Wings will need to be a point clear of any challenger in order to claim the posteason position.

Let’s look to the final week of the regular season as the Red Wings continue their chase for a playoff spot.

Detroit Red Wings (38-32-9, 85 points)

Remaining Games: Sat at Toronto, Monday vs Montreal, Tuesday at Montreal.

The Red Wings were 5-2 winners the last time they were the visitors in Toronto on Jan. 14. Former Leafs goalie James Reimer got the win that night. Might Lalonde look to him to again come through?

Detroit is 1-8-2 in the club’s past 11 road games. The Red Wings have also scored two or fewer goals in eight of 19 games since the beginning of March. They’ve been shutout four times during that span.

Pittsburgh Penguins (37-30-12, 86 points)

Remaining Games: Saturday vs Boston, Monday vs Nashville, Wednesday at New York Islanders.

Former Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic is 8-0-3 in his last 11 decisions for Pittsburgh. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has points in 13 of his last 15 games overall, accumulating 25 points (9-16-25) in that span.

Nedeljkovic on his mindset: "Just find the next puck. Worry about staying in the moment, not what's in the past – not what happened. You can't control it. So it's just finding that next one and getting back on the horse." pic.twitter.com/rE4DPORoX8

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 6, 2024

Thursday’s OT triumph was Pittsburgh’s ninth successive home-ice win (7-0-2) over the Red Wings. The Pens have outscored the Wings 47-22 in that span.

Washington Capitals (37-31-11, 85 points)

Remaining Games: Saturday at Tampa Bay, Monday vs Boston, Tuesday at Philadelphia.

The Capitals are 1-5-2 through their past eight games. The lone win was Tuesday at Detroit.

Washington simply isn’t scoring enough to sustain success. The Capitals have tallied two or fewer goals in each of the past eight games. They are averaging 1.75 goals per game over that span.

Philadelphia Flyers (37-32-10, 85 points)

Remaining Games: Saturday vs New Jersey, Tuesday vs Washington.

A 4-1 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday brought to a halt Philadelphia’s eight-game losing skid (0-6-2). Flyers forward Owen Tippett has 13 multi-point games this season. He has 15 points (6-9-15) in the last 15 games.

The good news is Philly finsihes with consecutive home games. On the other hand, the Flyers are just 3-3-2 over their past eight at home.

The post Handicapping The Race: Who Will Come to Aid of Red Wings? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

In 2009, Sidney Crosby was leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to prevent the Detroit Red Wings from winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. Fifteen years later, Crosby is still leading the Penguins and hurting the Red Wings.

Crosby used his 1,000th career assist to set-up Erik Karlsson for an overtime game-winner in the Penguins’ 6-5 win against the Red Wings.

The Red Wings needed two points, and earned one.

ERIK KARLSSON KEEPS PITTSBURGH'S PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE!

His @Energizer OT winner gives the @penguins a HUGE two points! pic.twitter.com/bkbOGheTwg

— NHL (@NHL) April 12, 2024

“Emotions are . . . it’s unlike anything,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. “It’s playoff mode. You win one, you’re on top of the world. You lose one and you’re rock bottom. That’s just the way it goes.”

The win gives the Penguins 86 points and a one-point lead over the Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins, Red Wings and Capitals have three games remaining, while the Flyers have two. The Penguins are trying to become the first team in NHL history to come from nine points back in the last 11 games to qualify for the playoffs.

The Red Wings erased a 5-3 third-period deficit to send the game  to OT.  Dylan Larkin, set up by Lucas Raymond, scored at 12:56 to make it a 5-4 game. Less than two minutes later, Raymond completed his second career hat trick to tie the game. Raymond had a spectacular night in perhaps his franchise’s biggest game in the last decade.

“I think the way Lucas played tonight was, if you’re looking at a step in his career, then that’s a performance that I’m very impressed by,” Larkin said. “I think that was a good statement to the hockey world.”

Big Night for Top Line

On the positive side, the Red Wings top line produced four goals and 10 points — Raymond had four and Larkin and Alex DeBrincat three points each– and the team was resilient in finding a way to secure a point. On the negative side, too many turnovers,  mistakes at inopportune times and Alex Lyon couldn’t come up with big saves when they were needed. Lyon had a .778 save percentage in this game.

They needed a big save from Lyon on the Jeff Carter shorthanded goal or the Karlsson blast from the high slot.

In the third period, the Red Wings trailed 4-3 and had a power play. They don’t score, and a turnover at the blue line led to a shorthanded goal by Carter to give Pittsburgh a 5-3 lead. Coach Derek Lalonde called that goal “self-inflicted” because it started with a turnover by Daniel Sprong at the blue line.

With the Washington Capitals also losing, the Red Wings still have a chance. According to Moneypuck.com, the Red Wings now have a 15.8% chance of making the playoffs for the first time in eight years. The Penguins’ playoff odds are now at 57.8%.

“I told the guys — that was a huge point,” Lalonde said. “I know it doesn’t feel very good right now, but the path is still there and we kept it alive.”

Detroit plays at Toronto Saturday. If the Red Wings win that game, who knows what the standings will look like. None of the teams competing for this playoff spot is taking complete charge of the race.

“We weren’t as clean tonight,” Lalonde said. “We got a point but our best hockey game was our last game out. I think we got away from some things from that game. We turned more pucks over tonight, we gave up some easy offense. There were some things we’ll need to improve on to give ourselves a chance Saturday.”

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Entering Tuesday’s home date with the Washington Capitals, the Detroit Red Wings talked confidently of being in control of their own destiny in the race for the final Eastern Conference wild card spot in the NHL playoffs.

Today, that’s no longer the case, and they can thank a pair of veteran players who wear Stanley Cup rings for this dilemma.

A 2-1 loss to the Capitals was the result of ill-advised decisions with the puck made by experienced forwards J.T. Compher and David Perron that both resulted in Washington goals during the final 2:13 of the second period.

“Those were controllable situations,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde of the two miscues that led to Capitals tallies. “We gave them some zone time and some looks off of some turnovers.”

Late in the middle frame with the game scoreless, trouble began brewing the Detroit zone. Red Wings defenseman Jeff Petry broke his stick. Forward Alex DeBrincat would then hand his twig off to his teammate.

#ALLCAPS 1-0. DYLAN MF STROME. 300TH CAREER POINT. pic.twitter.com/hTQ2aDcgXt

— Capitals Replays (@capsreplays) April 10, 2024

“Jeff broke his stick in the corner,” explained Perron. “Cat gives him his stick and it’s kind of a mini five-on-four for a little bit and they found a way.”

The path to that way was paved via a terrible decision by Compher. Attempting to clear the puck, he threw it directly up the middle of the ice – the only place along the Detroit blueline where a Washington player was situated.

Capitals defenseman Martin Fehervary blocked the clearing attempt. He fed the puck to Dylan Strome, who’d rifle a shot past Detroit netminder Alex Lyon for the opening goal.

Red Wings Giving Away Goals

For the second time in as many Detroit one-goal losses, veteran forward Perron had his fingerprints all over the deciding goal. Friday, it was his third-period penalty that led to the New York Rangers scoring on the power play in a 4-3 victory over Detroit.

Tuesday, with the clock winding down on the second frame, Perron threw a pass back toward his own end in the direction of defenseman Moritz Seider.

Alex Ovechkin sets the NHL RECORD with his 18th career 30 goal season pic.twitter.com/r7hm5Q14ed

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 10, 2024

Seider was unable to control the puck and it would bounce to the last person any Red Wings player would want to see with the puck on his stick, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. He sent a sizzling shot into the net and it was 2-0 Washington with 7.3 seconds left until the second intermission.

“Just not the greatest pass by me,” Perron admitted. “I got to put that on his stick.

“That’s a play we do all the time. Sometimes it goes up, sometimes you hit the weakside D coming up the ice and just unfortunate I didn’t make the right play on his stick.

“Sometimes it happens and he handles it, this time he didn’t handle it and it went back the other way and Ovechkin scored. Not a great play by me.”

Poor Puck Management Punishing Detroit

Poor puck management has victimized the Red Wings all season long. These self-inflicted mistakes were Hockey 101 stuff. You learn early never to throw the puck out of your zone up the middle of the ice. Likewise, the last thing you want to do with the puck as the period is nearing a conclusion is send it back toward your own net.

Tuesday, those bad decisions put the Red Wings behind the eight ball, handing the Caps a playoff position. Detroit is now trailing Washington (85 points). The Red Wings are in a deadlock with Pittsburgh (84 points). They’re heading next to the Steel City for a Thursday showdown with the Penguins.

“This one certainly stings,” Lalonde was admitting. “We still have some games to play. If we take care of business, I still think we’re in this thing.

“It’s just gonna be a little harder now, obviously, going into Pittsburgh, into Toronto. It stinks, it happens.”

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