In a critical Tuesday night matchup vs. St. Louis (41-28-7) with the Red Wings’ playoff outlook dwindling, Detroit (34-33-7) suffered what could be a detrimental 2-1 overtime loss from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo., as they could not protect a late third-period lead.
While the Blues carried the pace of play as they significantly outshot the Red Wings, Detroit’s 32nd-ranked penalty kill (69%) was one of the bright spots on the night as it killed off all three St. Louis powerplays. Unfortunately, the Red Wings’ third-ranked powerplay (28.4%) matched the Blues’ inefficiency with the man-advantage by also missing on all three opportunities.
Entering the third period scoreless, the Red Wings finally solved Blues’ goaltender Jordan Binnington when J. T. Compher scored his ninth goal of the season when he batted home a loose puck in front of the net with 14:47 left. Jonatan Berggren got his 10th assist (20th point) on the season on the play, along with Vladimir Tarasenko earning his 21st assist (31st point).
Detroit would hold their narrow one-goal lead into the final minute of play until Cam Fowler fed a shot-pass to Jordan Kyrou, who chipped the puck between the legs of Cam Talbot from just below the left circle with the Blues’ net empty to tie the game with 27.9 seconds remaining.
Entering overtime, the Red Wings would get a few rush opportunities, but none materialized into any significant scoring chances.
Unfortunately, a missed shot by Alex DeBrincat that caromed into the corner beside the Blues’ goal allowed St. Louis’ Robert Thomas and Cam Fowler to generate a two-on-one rush up the ice, with center Dylan Larkin as the only Red Wing defending the rush. Even though defenseman Moritz Seider hustled on the backcheck to attempt to disrupt the shot, Cam Fowler’s backhanded shot beat an outstretched Cam Talbot above the glove side to give the Blues their 10th consecutive win.
While the Blues outshot the Red Wings, Cam Talbot’s stellar play kept Detroit in the game as he stopped 35 of 37 shots faced.
For Detroit, the pain of the loss is made worse by the results across the league, as Montreal’s overtime win over Florida stretched their lead in the chase for the final wildcard spot to four points with eight games remaining, and Columbus’s regulation win over Nashville boosted their lead over the Red Wings to two points with nine games left.
While the Red Wings’ playoff chances are still mathematically alive, Detroit will have to go on an unworldly run in their last eight games with the addition of help from other teams to secure a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If that is to be desired, Detroit will need to start by winning their next game on Friday, April 4, vs. the Carolina Hurricanes (45-24-4) from Little Caesars Arena.
