Detroit Red Wings fail to deliver in huge game, lose to Capitals at home, 2-1
The setting had all the atmosphere of a playoff game: Warm weather, the town buzzing, a game where victory would be mean one step closer to the desired finish, and defeat, a crushing blow.
Tuesday's event was the biggest game the Detroit Red Wings have played at Little Caesars Arena since opening their new home in 2017. Their opponent, the Washington Capitals, came into the night as one of the chief threats to the Wings' push to make the playoffs.
Those hopes took a hit as the Wings couldn't turn a strong performance into the desired outcome. Their 2-1 loss left them on the outside of the playoff picture, with just four games left – three of them on the road – to get back inside. The Wings (38-32-8) have 84 points to Washington's 85.
The Wings largely controlled the pace, but were put on their heels in the final few minutes of the second period. There was just 7.2 seconds left when David Perron's pass to Moritz Seider lead to a turnover that led to 38-year-old Alex Ovechkin taking advantage of Seider tripping to get into Detroit's zone and make it 2-0. With that, Ovechkin reached 30 goals for the 18th time in his career, moving him into first place for most 30-goal seasons in NHL history.
Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren (41 saves) had the bulk of work compared to Alex Lyon, making save No. 30 early in the the period when Dylan Larkin had a breakaway. Not even a man advantage about six minutes in helped; not even an octopus landing on the ice with about six minutes left helped; not even a second power play – with the goalie pulled, too – made a dent. There was 1.1 seconds left when Patrick Kane score.
The Wings next play Thursday at the Pittsburgh Penguins, another team that's in the mix for a playoff spot.
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On their toes
The pace at the start matched the magnitude of the game, with both teams on their toes. The Wings did a good job funneling pucks at Lindgren, like Larkin making quick work of setting up a clean shot for Ben Chiarot. For a team that has been guilty of passing up shots in search of perfection, it was a good sign to see the emphasis on just getting the puck on net. Max Pacioretty tried to start something early with rookie defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who wisely ignored him.
Fast first
The first period took just 29 minutes to play as no penalties were called. Whatever between-whistles jostling there was, it was quickly dispensed with. The Wings sustained as much consistent pressure as they've displayed all season, with J.T. Compher trying on back-to-back chances around the net. When the Capitals gained Detroit's zone, the Wings did a good job in front of Lyon, blocking nine shots just the first 20 minutes. The result was a 17-8 edge in shots favoring the Wings after the first period.
Tough second
The Wings maintained pressure in the second period, running up a quick 5-0 advantage in shots. When Washington finally was able to generate a chance, Nicolas Aube-Kube's shot went off the crossbar. Patrick Kane was called for hooking at 9:12, but the Wings killed off that penalty with efficiency, breaking up plays and making the Capitals go 200 feet to retrieve the puck, that Lyon only had to make one save, on Hendrix Lapierre. There was 2:13 left when Dylan Strome snapped the puck into Detroit's net.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings fail to deliver in huge game, 2-1 Capitals at home
