RED WINGS FALL IN SHOOTOUT, 3-2
Once more, the Red Wings get one point in a game but couldn’t get the second.
The Red Wings took Florida into a shootout Saturday but lost to the Panthers 3-2, earning one point in the standings but not being able to snare that elusive and important second point.
Florida won the shootout 1-0, with 51goal scorer Sam Reinhart scoring the goal in the extra session.
That’s two games in the last three that the Wings have been able to earn a tie in regulation but lost in overtime. Tuesday, the Wings lost to Washington in overtime.
“Kind of has the Washington feel to it,” coach Derek Lalonde told reporters afterward. “In reality, a point like that on the road, we lost our captain (Dylan Larkin) for the first 20 minutes and we’ve had guys in and out of the lineup (with the flu), the roster wasn’t set (until close to game time), a very gutsy, impressive point from the guys. You’d like to get the two, but in reality we knew this would be a real tough road trip.
“Gutsy by the guys, a lot of positive. A lot of will from the group.”
Give plenty of credit to Wings goaltender Alex Lyon for this point, as Lyon stopped 37 shots. Whenever there were Wings’ unforced errors — and there were several — Lyon was there to clean things up with a big save.
“Alex was excellent,” Lalonde said. “Bob (Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky) was on his game, he came up with some big saves, but Alex kept us in there.”
The loss kept the Wings winless on this trip (0-2-2), but the one point did enable the Wings to come within one point of Washington (81-80) for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, Washington hosts Boston Saturday night. The Wings conclude
their trip Monday in Tampa (7 p.m., BSD/97.1).
The Wings are winless in their last nine games on the road. But there’s still confidence in the Wings’ room given the Wings’ level of play this week, and given that no other teams are taking control of the playoff chase for the wild card.
“I love the way we’re playing, the way our team game is right now,” forward David Perron said. “We’re minimizing turnovers. The team game has been there, and guys are playing together. It’s not an easy time.”
Dylan Larkin, injured on the first shift of the game, eventually returned and scored a power-play goal, his 29th goal, at 16 minutes
of the third period, tying the score 2-2.
Larkin was hit on a shot from Jeff Petry from the point just 27 seconds into the game, the puck getting Larkin near the left knee area. Larkin tumbled to the ice and could barely put any weight on his left leg while being assisted getting off the ice.
Larkin went to the locker room but returned later in the period. Larkin took a faceoff, but was clearly still bothered by the injury, as he struggled to get back up and again went directly to the bench, and ultimately to the room.
But Larkin started the second period and finished the game, eventually scoring the ty