Detroit Red Wings stoke hope for NHL playoffs: 'I love the way we play right now'
SUNRISE, Fla. — The Detroit Red Wings may yet rise into the NHL playoff picture, as challenging as it will be.
They looked like a team determined to make it with the way they played Saturday, against a opponent that made it to the Stanley Cup finals last season and is in position to battle for the Presidents Trophy this season. It was an effort highlighted by goaltending, the power play, the captain, and a level of coolheaded pushback. The Wings had to settle for one point in the 3-2 shootout loss, but there wasn't much to fault, not against a team as good as the Florida Panthers.
"Gutsy, very impressive point from the guys," coach Derek Lalonde said after the outing at Amerant Bank Arena. "Under the circumstances, you want to get two, but in reality, we knew this was going to be a really tough road trip. We’re trying to eat any points we could. We’ve taken points in two of our last three. Gutsy by the guys. A lot of positives. That’s an effort from the group, I’m really proud of them."
The circumstances are that the Wings (36-30-8) are trying to get back inside the playoff picture after occupying the first wild-card spot on Feb. 27, since which time they've gone 3-10-2. Now they have eight games left, four on the road, starting with Monday at the Tampa Bay Lightning. But the Wings at least have given themselves hope and confidence with the way they've performed against the Panthers, in the 4-3 overtime loss at the Washington Capitals, and the 1-0 loss at the Nashville Predators.
One bite: Red Wings show some fight, but settle for 3-2 shootout loss to Florida Panthers
"I love the the way we play right now," David Perron said. "You can tell with the way our team game is, we are solid for the most part. Yes, every goal there’s going to be a mistake or something, but we are minimizing all that, minimizing turnovers. I think the team game has been there. Guys are fighting, playing together. That’s how hard it is. It’s not an easy time."
The Panthers squeezed into last year's playoff picture with 92 points. Using that as a marker, the Wings would need 12 points out of 16 available. But as rough a March as they've had, no other team has run away with the second wild-card berth. They are two points behind Philadelphia for the final spot.
"We have to stay in the fight and we’ve done that," Lalonde said. "I think we’ll take care of home ice, I’m confident — we’ve shown all year we’ve played well at home. We’ve struggled of late on the road, and we found a way to get points in two of our last three."
What the Wings can take into their next game is confidence in their goaltending and their power play. Dylan Larkin lamented not being able to convert on the one in overtime against the Panthers, but that doesn't diminish converting twice in regulation — especially the second one, Larkin's 29th goal of the season. He endured a scare in the first period, when he was hit by a puck on the first shift, missed half the period, came back for one faceoff, then missed the rest. He didn't want to talk about that, but his teammates did.
"Larks, the way his night has been, comes back, goes out, comes back, finds that way to get that big goal, gets a point for us," Perron said. "Unbelievable effort by him."
Larkin is the only Wing who was on the team that advanced to the playoffs in 2016, eight years ago. He has been vocal about how the Wings "belong in the playoffs" this spring, and showed it by scoring a minute after the Panthers took the lead with five minutes to play, when Moritz Seider tipped the puck into his own net.
"We do take a lot of pride in our performance and it’s something we can build off," Larkin said. "You saw the response when they went up 2-1 and we battled. We played for each other and we stayed disciplined."
The Wings wanted to play meaningful games this time of year, and they don't come any more meaningful than right now.
"Turn the page right away, that’s all we can do," Perron said. "Focus on ourselves. Get feeling good for the next game. We have to find a way to get that one, and then take care of home ice."
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings staying in fight to make playoffs through tough trek
