Well, it all comes down to this. Game 82 at the Bell Center in Montreal. After the greatest hockey game we’ve seen at Little Caesars Arena in its seven seasons of existence, the Red Wings travel across the border to take on their Original Six rival one last time with a spot in the playoffs on the line. Sadly, there is no “Win and you’re in” scenario for Detroit. Regardless of whether they get the win or get the point by going to overtime, they’re going to need some help from at least one other team tonight.
If they win tonight, they need the Philadelphia Flyers to defeat the Washington Capitals. It doesn’t matter for either game whether they go to overtime tonight. The Red Wings just need more points than the Capitals. There is a scenario where Detroit gets in with an overtime loss. In that case, they would need a Flyers regulation win as well as a New York Islanders win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yeah, I like the first scenario a lot more too. It’s simple and relies on a lot less external things going right which, let’s be honest, haven’t been going the Red Wings way for a long time.
For the goalies in net tonight, the Red Wings send out Big Game James Reimer for the second game of a back-to-back. You really don’t wanna send out Lyon for two straight games, especially since he has also struggled just as much as Reimer lately so you may as well send out the less tired goalie. As for Montreal, they will be sending out their young backup netminder, Cayden Primeau who has had a rough month of April. In his three starts this month, he’s allowed a combined 14 goals with no game allowing less than four. With that in mind, let’s hope that tonight’s game is uncompetitive with the Red Wings making things far less stressful for us than last night. But I think you all know that’s not how these Wings have done things this year. For the last time this regular season but hopefully not the last time this season, let’s get into it.
1st Period
The Red Wings have a chance immediately to create something as a horrible pass at the blue line for the Canadiens gives the Red Wings first line a potential odd-man rush. Unfortunately, they’re unable to get a look at net. About a minute later, the Canadiens get a terrifying rush after J.T. Compher lost his stick and Mo Seider has an awful turnover at the blue line. They get a two-on-one with the one having no stick but Juraj Slafkovsky misses the net from in close. Bad turnovers from each team have led to a rush but neither team registered a shot from it.
There’s some good back-and-forth action from both teams and each team picks up a couple of shots but neither threatens either netminder. There’s a terrifying moment when Seider pushes Slafkovsky whose skate comes up and hits Compher right in the head. It looks like it didn’t hit anything serious but we’ll see if he comes back into the game or not. That could’ve been horrific and we’ll keep an eye on things. The Red Wings do create a really good chance with Alex DeBrincat getting a great look at goal but Primeau gobbles it up and we go to our first TV timeout.
Out of the break, the Red Wings get another good chance from the stick of Seider who takes a shot from the top of the right circle but it’s right at Primeau. They have a report on Compher and it looks like he’s getting stitches as he was cut on the side of the head. The Red Wings forward pressure has been great as several turnovers have been created. Lucas Raymond puts in great pressure and forces a neutral zone turnover but has no one to help. The Canadiens follow this with a very lucky chance after some fortunate bounces but Reimer comes up big.
Immediately after, Dylan Larkin and Raymond create the best chance of the game for Detroit so far with a beautiful feed from the former to the latter who is unable to finish from the slot. The Red Wings already have eight shots in the first ten minutes of the game and they’re gonna have to keep firing. Another minute passes by and a whistle blows sending us to the second media timeout. The score is still 0-0 with shots being 8-6 in favor of Detroit.
Right out of the break, the Canadiens get an odd-man rush after a bad pinch by Olli Määttä. Brendan Gallagher streaks up the left side and puts a gorgeous saucer pass over Shayne Gostisbehere to Alex Newhook who one-times it past Reimer. It comes from a bad defensive play which has been the biggest downfall of this Red WIngs team since the start of March and it’s now 1-0 Montreal. A minute later, another horrendous play by a Red Wings defenseman gives the Canadiens another chance. Seider blindly fires a pass in front of his own net directly to a Montreal player. Thankfully, the shot is blocked but my lord, that is one of the first rules you learn as a young defenseman.
The Red Wings do get some chances shortly after but can’t find the final pass. The Canadiens make their own mistakes with a defender falling behind the net but the only shot that Detroit finds is one from the blue line from Jeff Petry that is easily swallowed by Primeau. This sends us to the final media timeout with the score still 1-0 in favor of Montreal.
About a minute into play, the Canadiens get another terrifying rush but are unable to create a shot. The rushes that Montreal are getting should not be happening and is a product of sloppy play by Detroit. The passing has been horrendous and there have been so many bad turnovers. After a couple of minutes of back-and-forth, Larkin gets a good look from the right circle and Raymond nearly gets the rebound but it gets pushed away.
Then, it’s a Montreal turnover that turns the game around. An absolutely horrendous pass across the defensive zone from David Savard finds the stick of Larkin who drops it back to Seider. Seider rifles a slapshot THAT MAKES IT THROUGH PRIMEAU!!! THIS GAME IS TIED AT ONE ON A BEAUTIFUL SHOT BY SEIDER WITH 1:31 LEFT IN THE FIRST!!! It sounded like it hit a stick on the way through but as of this moment, they’re awarding the goal to Seider which is ninth goal of the season. It may have been tipped by DeBrincat but we’ll see if the goal gets changed.
There is another good chance by Seider late but that’s how the period ends. It’s tied up at one with the shots being 12-8 in favor of the Red Wings. The passing needs to improve but I have loved the pressure from the forwards so far. On another note, Compher still hasn’t returned to the game. I really hope it’s just stitches and it took a bit longer than expected but there hasn’t been an update yet and that’s really worrisome considering what happened as well as how important Compher has been to this team. With that said, let’s see how this team comes out in the second period.
2nd Period
Coming back from the break, we see a replay and Seider’s shot was deflected but it was by a Canadien so he gets the goal with assists to Larkin and Raymond. More importantly, Compher is back on the bench and it was actually his nose that got hit and it’s bandaged up but he’s back in the game which is great to see. The Red Wings get an A+ chance right out of the break thanks to that forward pressure. DeBrincat picks off a pass and rifles a shot from the high slot that rings off the post. A huge chance that unfortunately doesn’t end up on the scoreboard.
The Canadiens get a couple of chances about two minutes into the period. A drop pass to Slafkovsky gets him a pair of looks but both times, a Red Wings gets a stick on his. They then get another good look from the right circle but Reimer comes up big. Immediately after, they get another great look from the slot but Reimer again comes up big. After a couple of minutes of slow play, the Red Wings get a great chance through Compher. He gets the puck from Petry on the right boards and puts the wrist shot on net with David Perron in front but Primeau makes the save.
The Canadiens get another great chance off of a stretch pass. Simon Edvinsson gets beat by Joel Armia who gets a two-on-one rush with Gallagher. Armia moves past a sliding Petry and fires the shot which leaks through Reimer that Gallagher buries home. 2-1 Canadiens just like that and that’s just deflating. Two goals, both off of stretch passes on plays where defensemen get beat in the offensive zone. It’s not good enough.
The Red Wings get a great set of chances before the TV timeout. Raymond is found up the right side but an excellent stick check by Nick Suzuki knocks the puck off him. The puck ends up on the stick of Chiarot who fires a shot that gets blocked but the puck then finds Larkin’s stick who gets one on goal. Primeau makes the save and sends us to our first media timeout. Shots are 5-2 in favor of the Canadiens so far in this period as the Red Wings have not looked like a team fighting for a playoff spot this period.
Out of the break, the Canadiens get one of the oddest chances I’ve ever seen. Newhook gets free after making Andrew Copp end up on his butt and then whiffs a shot. However, the whiff hits something in front and goes past Reimer off the post. Thankfully, it slides under Reimer who is able to cover it up. However, it’s short-lived. Suzuki makes a nice move around Seider who finds Slafkovsky backdoor. Reimer makes an unbelievable pad save but the rebound finds Cole Caufield who scores. 3-1 Canadiens and that is frustrating.
Right after this, the Red Wings have pressure and the Canadiens are getting a penalty. However, Primeau starts looking at something else after making a save on a Gostisbehere shot and Joe Veleno picks up the rebound AND SLIDES IT FIVE HOLE!!! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT PRIMEAU WAS DOING BUT VELENO SCORES TO MAKE THIS A 3-2 GAME!!! That was one of the most bizarre goals I’ve ever seen. It was an awkward rebound off of Primeau but it looked like he was distracted by the delayed penalty. Veleno takes advantage for his 12th goal of the year to bring this back to a one-goal game.
Right after this, the Canadiens get another fantastic chance with Slafkovsky left wide open in the slot but Reimer makes another big save and sends us to our second media timeout. Shots are now 11-5 in the period in favor of Montreal and it just looks like they’re the team with more to play for. We see about a minute of play out of the break before we get our final media timeout. About a minute after the break, the Canadiens first line strikes fear in the Red Wings again. There’s a beautiful chance leading to a Suzuki shot but Reimer makes another big save. Shortly after, Christian Fischer is coming up behind Logan Mailloux and slashes him on the glove. An easy call and gives Montreal the first power play of the game.
The Canadiens get a fantastic chance about 30 seconds into the power play. There’s a gorgeous pass from Suzuki to a wide open back door Caufield but Reimer makes an absolutely incredible save. Wow, that was incredible and keeps this a one-goal game. After this the Red Wings penalty kill locks it down. Unfortunately, with 11 seconds left in the Fischer penalty, Raymond attempts to clear the puck and sends it over the glass. A huge mistake that now gives the Canadiens the power play for the rest of the period.
However, it’s the Red Wings who get the first chance as Larkin finds Fischer coming out of the box. Fischer sets up Larkin who gets a nice shot but Primeau makes the easy save. It takes Montreal a bit to get going and finally, they get a chance on a shot that hits Gallagher in front. However, Reimer swallows it up to stop the play with 32 seconds left in the period. There are no other super great chances for Montreal and the period comes to an end. Shots were 16-7 in favor of Montreal for the period and they dominated that period. It’s one entirely lucky goal and one incredible save that has kept this a 3-2 game. This team is a third-period team but they really need to step it up if they want a chance at the playoffs.
3rd Period
Right out of the gate, the Red Wings get possession thanks to Raymond coming out of the box and setting up a chance but can’t get a shot through. They then keep a majority of the possession over the first couple minutes of the period but can’t get a shot on net. At the two-and-a-half-minute mark, the first line for the Red Wings creates another great chance. Raymond finds DeBrincat with a pass in the neutral zone. DeBrincat gets a good look and then gets the rebound but Primeau makes both saves. The Red Wings get another chance a minute later with a loose puck in front but Veleno gets stopped. Then, Daniel Sprong picks up a loose puck in the corner and fires it at Primeau AND IT BANKS IN!!! HE BANKS IT OFF OF PRIMEAU’S BLOCKER AND HE TIES THE GAME WITH HIS 18TH OF THE SEASON!!!
What a start to the period for Detroit. They’ve come out flying and dominating and this game is already tied up just a few minutes into the third period. What a finish this is going to be. Seider gets the assist on the goal for his second point of the game. The Red WIngs keep the majority of control over the next several minutes. However, a blocked Ben Chiarot shot by Suzuki leads to a breakaway that other way. Reimer makes an absolutely massive save and shortly after, we get the first media timeout. That was terrifying but we’re still tied. Shots so far in this period after six and a half minutes are 7-2 in favor of the Red Wings who have been flying to start the period.
The Red Wings once again have control out of the break. Larkin gets a wraparound attempt which is stopped as the first line continues to threaten the Canadiens. The second line keeps up the pressure but can’t find a way through. Unfortunately, the line ends up out too long and the Canadiens get pressure on a tired Wings team. Lane Hutson gets a great look but Reimer makes another fantastic save through traffic. After this, Montreal gets their first extended pressure of the period. It’s the Red Wings first line who ends that and creates another pair of chances, both saved by Primeau. The second one gets gobbled up and sends us to the second media timeout. It’s still 3-3 and shots for the period are 10-3 in favor of Detroit.
There’s a scary moment to start the period as David Perron has his legs taken out from under him and slides head-first into Primeau’s legs. Primeau and Perron get tangled up and the Canadiens go the other way with a five-on-four. A missed call and the fact there was no whistle during this was absurd and gave Montreal control. During this control, a shot from the point gets tipped by Slafkovsky and Reimer never stood a chance. 4-3 Montreal with seven minutes to play and the Red Wings are gonna need another late comeback to win this one.
There are a couple of looks from the point over the next couple of minutes but nothing to threaten Primeau. With 4:30 left, we head to the final TV timeout. 4:30 left to save this season and give themselves a chance pending the end of the Flyers/Capitals game. Out of the break, the Red Wings get a great chance off a rebound from a Gostisbehere shot but Primeau makes the save. There are more chances, mainly from the point, but again Primeau makes the saves. With 1:48, there’s an icing call against Montreal and the Red Wings pull their goalie and send out the first line. Here we go.
Right off the draw, Gostisbehere gets a one-timer but misses the net. The Red Wings keep full control and are trying to find an open lane but can’t quite find it. The finally get a shot on net that Primeau gobbles up and gets a whistle, allowing the Red Wings to take a timeout to rest up their first line and get some plays ready. The Canadiens win the draw but Gostisbehere makes another miracle save. However, Montreal is able to clear it out and it’s tipped. The officials mistakenly call icing so the draw comes to center ice with 36.7 seconds left and Reimer is forced to come back on.
Larkin wins the draw and Reimer goes to the bench. The Red Wings can’t get control though and the Canadiens go for a long-range empty net which gives Detroit one last shot with 7.7 seconds left in the Montreal end. The Red Wings get the faceoff back and Gostisbehere gives the puck to Perron. Perron fires a one-timer from the point AND HE SCORES!!! WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE SHOT AND THE GAME IS TIED WITH 4.1 SECONDS LEFT ON THE CLOCK!!! THIS GAME IS GOING TO OVERTIME. THE RED WINGS ARE GETTING A POINT!!! OH MY GOD WHAT AN END TO REGULATION!!!
The scream I let out. The scream I’m sure so many Red Wings fans let out. This game is going to overtime. This team still has a chance. At the time this happens, the Flyers and Capitals are tied 1-1 with four minutes left in regulation. They’re cheering for the Flyers, just hoping they can win it but they’ve given themselves a chance in overtime. Five minutes left to give themselves a shot to win the game.
Overtime
Well, as we come back from the break, the Flyers pulled their goalie with four minutes left needing a regulation win to make the playoffs, and the Capitals have scored. The Red Wings are gonna try to win but they need a miracle from Philadelphia. The Red Wings get a great chance one minute in as Larkin is sent on a breakaway but he can’t beat Primeau. He gets a great look at Gostisbehere with a backdoor pass but it goes over his stick.
Unfortunately, the Red Wings make a mistake. With 3:08 left, Patrick Kane puts a stick right into Newhook’s skate and sends him down. The Canadiens now have a four-on-three power play which is terrifying. The Canadiens are moving the puck a lot but the Red Wings triangle is limiting their chances. Montreal gets a couple of looks back door but can’t get one on target. In the end, the Red Wings get one last clear and kill the penalty. There’s now a minute left with four-on-four. The teams go back and forth but neither team can get a look. Finally, the Canadiens get a shot and Reimer covers things up with 12.5 seconds left. The Red Wings win the faceoff and can’t create a chance and we’re going to a shootout.
Shootout
As we start the shootout, the Capitals have officially won their game thanks to that empty netter in a tie game. Just so unfortunate and frustrating.
Round 1: Caufield saved, Larkin saved
Round 2: Hutson saved, Raymond saved
Round 3: Suzuki saved, Kane SCORES
Recap
The Red Wings win 5-4 in a shootout. It was a crazy, magical game with one of the craziest ends to regulation you’ll ever see. Unfortunately, the Capitals win means they’re eliminated. It’s frustrating when you remember where this Red Wings team was at the end of February. They crushed Washington in a game that put them way clear of anyone else in the wild card race. After that, the team’s defense and goaltending fell apart. They dealt with injuries to Jake Walman, Michael Rasmussen, and most importantly, Dylan Larkin. It was a downward spiral that the magic of April just couldn’t recover from.
If you asked me how I’d feel about missing the playoffs on the final day before the season started, I would’ve told you that I’d be fine. It’s similar to how I would’ve felt at the start of the Lions season if you had told me that they would lose in the NFC Championship game. I would’ve said that’s better than I expected so I’m happy with it. However, much like how the Lions gave away a big lead in the NFC Championship, the Red Wings gave a way a big lead in the Wild Card race. A lead that was as big as nine points in late February completely evaporated in a matter of weeks and it meant going into the final week of the season, they didn’t control their own destiny. It didn’t matter the magic they had if another team was gonna have the same magic and the advantage.
That being said, I’m excited for this team going forward. Lucas Raymond to start his career is on a similar pace to some of the current best scorers in the NHL when they were his age. There’s no guarantee he’ll become someone as good as a Kucherov or Pastrnak but his numbers are comparable at this age. If Larkin gets a full season in with an improving Raymond, we could see him pull some career highs. There are some young guns who look like they could be so good for this team in the future. The scariest thing is the unknown of this team’s defense and goaltending. The Red Wings finished the year without a netminder having a GAA under 3.00. That’s a combination of bad goaltending and really bad defense who makes a lot of mistakes, especially with the puck.
I won’t go on any longer because there’s a lot more I could say but I’ll save that for another day. Unfortunately, this team won’t be ending their playoff drought but fortunately, there are a lot of bright spots for a team that was the second-best comeback team in the entire NHL this year. It’s just a shame that disappeared in March and cost us the season. We will see you all next year folks. Thank you for a great season and stay tuned for some fun stuff this offseason.
