Detroit Red Wings lose to Rangers at LCA, but don't lose ground in wild-card playoff race
The Detroit Red Wings measured themselves against a potential first-round playoff foe.
They gifted the New York Rangers a couple of goals Friday at Little Caesars Arena, but were able to outscore those early blemishes and even flirt with a lead. The Wings ultimately came up short, losing 4-3 to stay at 82 points with six games remaining.
Andrew Copp made it 1-1 in the first period and J.T. Compher made it 2-2 early in the second period. Dylan Larkin recorded his third straight 30-goal season when he scored on a power play in the second period, but the lead he built lasted less than a minute. Alex Lyon had made 28 saves when the Rangers went on their third power play, midway through the third period. Chris Kreider scored a go-ahead goal when he had a chance just outside the net.
The Wings are trying to move into the second wild-card spot in the East, which under the current standings would pit them against the Rangers. It's a tight race, but the Philadelphia Flyers lost Friday to stay at 83 points with five games remaining. The Washington Capitals also lost, staying at 82 points with six games remaining. The New York Islanders (83 points, six games left) and Pittsburgh Penguins (81 points, six games left) were idle.
The Wings next host the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
More: Detroit Red Wings' Alex Lyon, now the starting goalie, is the epitome of perseverance
Eventful start
The Wings spent the first couple shifts on their heels, running around their own zone, but the fourth line, especially Robby Fabbri, changed momentum with a big shift. But that line also had its fingerprints on the Rangers goal at 5:58, when Will Cuylle capitalized on Austin Czarnik's open-ice turnover. Fans thought Dylan Larkin scored a minute later (as did the Jumbotron operator) but his shot went off a post. Instead it was Copp who got the goal back, making it 1-1 at 7:09 on a backhand. Robby Fabbri and Barclay Goodrow tussled at 8:38, with Fabbri drawing an extra roughing penalty to leave the Wings shorthanded.
Tough stretch
The Wings went on a power play at 12:12 of the first period. Jonathan Quick stopped Shayne Gostisbehere's attempt, and also made a save on Lucas Raymond, but the Wings weren't able to maintain possession for the whole stretch. In the final minute, Patrick Kane had a turnover, Artemi Panarin a juicy scoring opportunity, and then the Wings gifted the Rangers another lead with a lackadaisical faceoff that resulted in three players being above the puck and Goodrow having time and space to make it 2-1 with 29 seconds to play.
Keeping it close
The Wings made it a tie game, again, less than 90 seconds into the second period. Jeff Petry fired a shot on net that went in off Compher's skate to make it 2-2. Larkin converted on a power play at 13:19 when he swiped Perron's rebound deep into the corner of the net. It was Detroit's first lead of the game, and didn't last much longer than either of the Rangers' leads. Goodrow scored his second of the game at 13:44, leaving the game tied for a third time.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her @helenestjames.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings lose to Rangers, but not ground in playoff race
