Detroit Red Wings blasted by Pittsburgh Penguins, 7-2, in home finale: Game thread replay
Detroit Red Wings (30-38-10, 70 points) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (44-23-11, 99 points)
When: 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit Extra.
Radio: WXYT-AM (1270; other radio affiliates).
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Game notes: The Penguins, at 99 points, are guaranteed a playoff spot, but they’re neck-and-neck with the Washington Capitals for the third spot in the Metropolitan Division – which comes with the bonus prize of avoiding division leaders Florida and Carolina. A win or reaching overtime against the Wings would give Pittsburgh its first 100-point season since 2019.
There’s also a tight finish looming in the Pens’ scoring race, as 27-year-old Jake Guentzel is tied with 34-year-old Sidney Crosby at 81 points. Guentzel has 40 goals and 41 assists, while Sid the Not-A-Kid, still Pittsburgh's captain, is one goal short of his first 30-goal season since 2018-19, and his 10th overall.
The Wings will be without their captain, however: Dylan Larkin has been shut down for the season after undergoing core muscle surgery Monday. Larkin finishes his seventh season with 31 goals and 38 assists.
April hasn’t been much fun for the Pens, who lost four straight to open the month before recovering with three wins in their past five games, including a 4-0 take down of Boston on Thursday night. The Wings, meanwhile, are 4-6-1 this month, including wins over the playoff-bound Bruins, Hurricanes and Lightning.
It’s the last game of a six-game stretch for the Wings against playoff-bound teams; they’ll have a slightly easier test in their visit to New Jersey on Sunday. Likewise, the Penguins get a bit of a breather with a visit to Philadelphia on Sunday before hosting the Oilers and Blue Jackets to finish up the regular season.
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Contact Ryan Ford at rford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @theford.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings blasted by Pittsburgh Penguins, 7-2: Game thread replay
