Wings remain optimistic despite frustrating loss
Team hoping to take care of business in last four games
Dylan Larkin summed up where the Detroit Red Wings are at as they have four games left to manifest a playoff spot.
“Frustrated,” he said. “Very frustrated.”
The Wings (38-32-8) head into their next game coming off a crushing loss that they cannot afford to let fester. At 84 points, they have four games left to gain enough traction in what is a tight race for the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.
Their next opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins, are in the mix, as are the Washington Capitals. The New York Islanders are trending towards securing the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, but could be chasing the last wild card spot, too. The Philadelphia Flyers have lost eight straight, but they are still right behind the Wings with 83 points.
That cast a shadow on Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Capitals.
“This one certainly stings,” coach Derek Lalonde said, “but we still have some games. If we take care of business, I still think we’re in this thing. It’s just going to be a little harder now.”
After Pittsburgh on Thursday, the Wings play at the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday, host the Montreal Canadiens Monday, and finish the regular season Tuesday at Montreal. The Penguins have won six of their last eight games and have points in nine straight games. They have 84 points, too, but lead the Wings in the standings on the strength of owning the first tie-breaker with 31 regulation victories to Detroit’s 27. The Leafs have clinched a playoff berth already, but they’re only three points behind the Florida Panthers for second place in the Atlantic Division — which comes with home-ice advantage — so they have something to play for Saturday, too.
“It’s already the playoff-type feel in the room,” David Perron said. “It’s so fun coming to the rink. I think it’s important we reset, we find a way to just let go of this game and move forward and re-energize for the next one. We have to find a way.”
The thing of it is, the Wings put on a really good performance against Washington, funneling pucks at Charlie Lindgren, who made 42 saves and didn’t give until there was a second left on the clock. Puck management was an issue on the goals the Capitals scored, but that’s usually what happens on a goal — somebody messes up.
“If this is a game in the first half of the season,” Lalonde said, “we’re talking about our process being excellent and to stick with it. It just gets magnified now because of the situation.
“It just didn’t go our way. I liked our game. This one stings because we played a pretty good game, just, we got away from our puck play at the end of the second. We couldn’t have been any better for the first 35 minutes.”
Lalonde has talked about managing the emotions that comes with being in such meaningful games, and that’s vital now. The Wings cannot afford to feel sorry for themselves.
“Absolutely,” Larkin said. “We get a day and then we’re right back at it, which I think after a game like that, we played pretty well, one of our best offensive-zone games in a long time. We bring that into Pittsburgh, it’s going to be the same kind of game. Hopefully we learn that when we get our chances, we have to bear down and put them in the net.”