One down.
With a fanbase collectively pleading for signs of a pulse, the Red Wings mostly delivered in Thursday’s victory over the Flyers. It wasn’t a perfect effort, but they started on time, they played physical, they put the game away late. We’ll take it, gladly.
The reward? Even higher stakes.
Detroit is now tied for the second Wild Card position, with Ottawa holding the tiebreaker by virtue of more regulation wins. The Senators’ win on Thursday was about the only blemish in a pretty favorable out-of-town slate, with the Penguins, Blue Jackets, Flyers (obviously) and Capitals all losing (along with the Islanders last night). Even the Bruins lost, which is significant only if they manage to blow their six-point cushion in their final six games.
The bad news? Most of those losses don’t matter if Detroit can’t pass Ottawa, as those Metro teams still have a path into the postseason that the Red Wings will not have in the Atlantic (again, pending a Montreal meltdown) if they can jump into second or third in the division.
The good news? The Senators lost yet another defenseman, Tyler Kleven, in their win over Buffalo. That marks five of their top eight D currently missing from their lineup. The forward group is healthy, but that’s a lot of bodies to be missing at a crucial time of year. Feels… unsustainable.
More good news? We have a little break from the never-ending stream of four-point games, with this afternoon’s meeting coming against the New York Rangers instead of a team directly in reach of Detroit. It’s absolutely critical to pick up two points against a cellar-dwelling team. The Red Wings can afford one, maybe two losses in the home stretch here, so squandering one like this means must-wins against better opponents.
More bad news? It’s not going to be easy. New York is not playing terribly, with three wins in its last four (notable that those wins all came against non-playoff teams). But Red Wings fans have seen what this time of year can be like in the recent past. Players are still playing for contracts, roles for next season, and to end on a positive note after a rough year. Detroit had a couple of seasons in which they unexpectedly strung together a solid win streak after being eliminated from postseason contention. Losses don’t matter, wins still feel good.
Detroit lost Justin Faulk during Thursday’s win, and according to the Griffins’ broadcast yesterday afternoon, Axel Sandin-Pellikka will be called up. Practice updates made it sound like Faulk has not been ruled out, but it’s a necessary move to bring ASP up now (especially because they are in Winnipeg) rather than having to play Travis Hamonic, who hasn’t seen the ice in a while. I’ve caught a few Griffins games since ASP was sent down, and he’s really been able to hang onto the puck a lot more. Whether it’s confidence or stems from playing a bigger role, I think he’ll be energized should he draw into the lineup.
How to Watch
Time: 12:30 p.m. EDT
TV: ABC
Radio: WWJ Newsradio 950
Red Wings Projected Lineup
Finnie – Larkin – Appleton
DeBrincat – Copp – Kane
Perron – Compher – Raymond
van Riemsdyk – Kasper – Shine
Johansson – Seider
Edvinsson – Faulk/Sandin-Pellikka
Chiarot – Bernard-Docker
Gibson
Talbot
Rangers Projected Lineup
Perreault – Zibanejad – Lafreniere
Kartye – Miller – Sheary
Cuylle – Trocheck – Brodzinski
Sykora – Laba – Chmelar
Gavrikov – Fox
Fortescue – Schneider
Robertson – Borgen
Quick
Shesterkin
Rooting Guide: Minnesota over Ottawa, Tampa over Boston, Florida over Pittsburgh, New Jersey over Montreal, Buffalo over Washington, Carolina over NY Islanders, Winnipeg over Columbus
