Detroit – Maybe if the Red Wings and Boston Bruins play that game again, the result is different and the vibe around the Red Wings isn’t what it is.
But Saturday’s game at Little Caesars Arena did happen, and it’s not going to be revisited on the ice. The Bruins won, 4-2, and earned two valuable points for the standings. There’s no chance of redoing that history.
NHL STANDINGS
The Wings, while outshooting the Bruins 43-27, taking a third-period lead (2-1) on Alex DeBrincat’s 35th goal, and a chance to build a cushion in the ridiculously tight playoff standings, couldn’t hold on. They allowed three consecutive Boston goals and lost a game they needed to win.
The Wings still have their heads above water – they’re occupying the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot – but it’s getting difficult to stay above the rising currents.
“We want to come out of that game with two points first of all, and at least one,” said Lucas Raymond, who opened the Wings’ scoring with his 22nd goal. “The second period, we dominated them. We were the better team. We could’ve put them away right there and then kind of closed it down in the third, but it’s a valuable lesson.
“It’s tight games, but everyone in this locker room enjoys them. We’re looking forward to the rest of them.”
The next one is Tuesday, concluding a four-game homestand, against Ottawa (7 p.m., FDSN/97.1), one of the teams pushing from the bottom. The Senators were three points behind the Wings Sunday, but are on the road Monday in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. An Ottawa victory would put the Senators one point behind the Wings heading into Tuesday’s clash – and with an opportunity to leapfrog over the Wings.
The Wings know that if they do most of the things they did against Boston during Tuesday’s game, it probably will result in points for Detroit.
“We liked our game overall,” coach Todd McLellan said of Saturday’s loss. “We did a lot of really good things. If we play that game over again and get a little puck luck around the net, we’ll score a few more.
“Obviously, we don’t like to give up three.”
Goalie matchup
Goaltender John Gibson has arguably been the Wings’ most valuable player this season but give Boston’s Jeremy Swayman credit. Saturday, Swayman (41 saves) was just a bit better and had a hand in guiding the Bruins to victory.
“We had great opportunities,” defenseman Moritz Seider said. “Got to give a shoutout to (Swayman). He played really, really well and made it tough on us. Even when we had a screen in front of him, he always found a way to make sure he secured them and didn’t allow rebounds. Overall, it was a fun game to watch, obviously, with a frustrating and disappointing end on our side.”
Said Raymond: “He’s a good goalie. We knew that. We knew that we were going to have a higher shot volume; we did. (We) had a ton of looks, just got to put it in.”
Boston’s Elias Lindholm snuck a shot through Gibson (23 saves) at 6 minutes, 22 seconds of the third period, then Nikita Zadorov scored his second goal of the season, from long range, at 9:42 to suddenly put the Bruins ahead, and they added an empty-net goal to cement things.
“The third goal, we just caved into our end,” McLellan said. “Our defensemen didn’t gap up. We just kept drifting backwards, deeper and deeper. Give Zadorov a lot of credit. He used our (defenseman) as a screen. Was it disappointing? Yes. Can we fix it? Yes. Do we hope that we erase that from our game? For sure we do.”
Playoff picture
The Wings only have 12 games left and essentially still control their destiny. But going 4-4-2 over their last 10 games, while some other teams are earning points on a more regular basis, and failing to close out some recent games, could prove costly.
“Everybody is paying attention right now and nobody loses, which is a real indicator that you better take care of your own work and not count on anybody on any given night from now until the end of the season,” McLellan said.
The fact the Wings, for the moment, control their own destiny is something they’re relying on.
“We’re still in a great spot to fight our own battles,” Seider said. “That has to be the message. The last couple of years, we were waiting for help and now it’s all in our hands. Obviously, this (loss) was disappointing. But if we show that effort, that intensity again, we’ll be in good shape.”
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Red Wings feel sting of one that got away in super tight playoff race
Reporting by Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
