Detroit Red Wings displaying necessary playoff mettle — at just the right time of the year

The Detroit Red Wings kept calm and for that, they get to carry a bit of momentum into a crucial week.

Having come out their last big game on a winning note that edged them back inside the playoff picture, they head into their next one weighted by what is at stake against the Washington Capitals: Win, and the Wings make critical gains towards securing the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference; come away without any points, and the challenge will be immense over what will then be four games remaining.

"We’ve been staying in the battle," coach Derek Lalonde said after Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at LCA. "That’s points in four of our last six games, victories in two of our last three. We’re slowly gobbling some points, keeping ourselves in the fight. We’ve been getting some help around the league, but it comes to a point that we have to take care of ourselves."

Lucas Raymond, who scored the first goal, said that, "it feels good to get a win. Maybe not our best game, but we found a way to get it done. Al played great back in net, so, big win."

SOLID AS A ROCK: Alex Lyon, now the starting goalie, is the epitome of perseverance

Al would be Alex Lyon, who made 28 saves the last two periods to stave off a hard-charging opponent. He's the one who's fond of saying, "never apologize for a win." Sunday's wasn't perfect — few are — but the victory got the Wings (38-31-8) to 84 points, and, with the Capitals losing in overtime Sunday evening, the Wings moved into the second wild-card spot.

"I think it’s imperative that we take it a day at a time," Lyon said. "Living in the moment and staying day-by-day is absolutely crucial this time of year, and remaining calm in critical situations. I talk about that all the time.

"The reality is, if we get the job done here, then we are going to have more difficult games after that, and your reward is just to play more hockey in more difficult games. So you really can’t think too far into the future, you can’t worry about the past, and we have to enjoy this because this is an important part of the process for a little bit here, and then we have to try to get better and move forward."

Lyon spoke about "muscle memory" in learning how to handle games of this magnitude. Ever since a seven-game losing skid undermined some of the hard work that went into sitting in the first wild-card spot at this time last month, the Wings have been under pressure to rise to the expectation they end a playoff drought that began in 2017. He has the memory of what it is like to make it in as the last team from last season, when he backstopped the Florida Panthers into the eighth spot.

"I remember one time I was a pretty nervous and Eric Staal, I said, what have you got for me? And he’s like, I just stay in the moment and I don’t really care about anything else. It was good advice, I think, and it’s served me well. It’s a hard thing to do and an easy thing to say, but that’s what we have to do, just stay in the moment."

After Tuesday, the Wings play Thursday at the Pittsburgh Penguins, whose late-season surge has them back in the mix for a playoff spot after it appeared they weren't going to make it.

Good goaltending is vital this time of year, but what helped Sunday, too, was the start. That was the energy that was so absent during the skid, and while nothing can be done about that now, the Wings owe it to themselves to replicate the energy and pace and confidence they came out with against the Sabres.

"We struggled with our starts a couple weeks ago, and kind of cleaned that up," Raymond said. "It’s always, always a benefit when you can come out like that.

"I think it’s a lot about mindset, that we come out and really play our game. Because when we play our game, we can compete with any team in this league. Sometimes we’ve gotten starts where we’ve been on our heels a little bit, trying to feel the game out. We came out guns blazing, so try to replicate that."

The finish line is so close, a little more than a week away, and to the Wings' credit, they have found their footing just in time to at least stay in the race.

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 show 'muscle memory' for big games in Sunday's win