Author Archives: John Rothwell

Caps top Red Wings, 4-3, in OT

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In Washington, DC, the Capitals downed the visiting Detroit Red Wings, 4-3, in extra time on Tuesday night. The win pushed the Caps one point back of the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers lost to the New York Rangers, 6-5, in overtime on Tuesday. 

Detroit dropped two points back of the Caps for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Both teams have 10 games left on the dance cards.

Dylan Strome scored his second of the game at 1:55 of the extra session to give the Capitals the win.

“Phenomenal,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery said of Strome. “I’m so proud because he’s just such a gamer. He wants to win so badly and you can feel it when you talk to him. You feel it on the bench. So, it’s not about him. It’s not about his own individual stats, goals, assists. He wants to score so badly because he wants to win.”

Charlie Lindgren made 30 saves in the win.

Washington improved to 36-26-9 off their sixth win in the last seven matches.

Following a scoreless opening stanza, Nic Dowd broke the ice at 2:09 of the middle frame for a 1-0 lead to the Caps, scoring through a maze in front of the Detroit cage.

“I mean, every game feels like a playoff game at this point” Dowd said. “This is our playoffs right now. That, I think, was big because they are so close to us in the standings, yes. But the next game’s going to feel the exact same way.”

Alex DeBrincat hit at 4:53 to tie the game, 1-1, scoring off a a nifty pass from Jeff Petry.

Detroit took a 2-1 lead on a marker from David Perron with 43 seconds left in the second. He scored off the power play, collecting an errant puck at the side of the crease.

Detroit dropped to 36-29-7 off their second straight loss.

“In reality, it’s probably a good road point, but under the circumstances, you certainly want to get the two full points,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “Obviously, some mixed emotions there. … Under the circumstances we wanted a little bit more.”

In the third period, Connor McMichael  tied the game, 2-2, scoring off a puck that bounced off the backboards to his stick for easy tap in. The goal came with 35 seconds gone in the period.

“We were playing OK, but we weren’t playing great, and [McMichael] scored and then I thought we controlled the third period up until maybe four, five minutes left,” Strome said. “I thought it was a good hockey game all around. Nice to be on the right side of those good hockey games and we’ll take it and move on.”

Strome potted his first of the game at 4:49 to give the Caps a 3-2 lead.

Patrick Kane forced the extra session when he tied the game, 3-3, at 14:40.

“We would love to just bottle it up and have a boring third period, but that’s not the way it went,” Detroit’s Dylan Larkin said. “And we had to respond, and we did.”

Alex Lyon made 26 saves in the loss.

“First two periods we managed the puck pretty well for the most part,” Detroit’s J.T. Compher said. “We were aggressive, we were forechecking. They had a good push. A little bit us, a little bit of a desperate team over there, too.”

Red Wings double up Islanders, 6-3

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In Detroit, Dylan Larkin returned the Red Wings’ bench and promptly potted a pair of goals in a 6-3 win over the visiting New York Islanders.

For Detroit, it was a huge two points as they continue to push back on the rest of the chasers for the wild card, at least, in the Eastern Conference.

“It meant a lot to be back out there battling with the guys and watching everyone contribute,” Larkin said. “We had everyone playing as hard as they could, blocking shots, winning battles — it was exactly the kind of attitude we needed.”

James Reimer made 33 saves in the win.

“This is a huge team win — a quality win when we really needed it,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “We took care of business at home.”

Detroit moved to 36-28-6 off their third win in four games.

After a scoreless opening stanza, Christian Fischer  hit for the game’s first marker at 11:15 of the middle frame and a 1-0 lead to the Red Wings.

The Isles relied with a strike by Mike Reilly  at 13:25 to knot the game, 1-1, scoring off a shot that just did sneak in for the goal.

Andrew Copp, who also had a double on the night,  responded for the Red Wings with a marker at 16:00, scoring off a rebound to end a 22-game drought.

Larkin picked up his first of the night at 18:08 for a 3-1 lead headed to the third period.

“He means everything to this team,” Fischer said of Larkin. “He’s a true No. 1 center, which is really hard to find, and you could see every guy competing a little harder just having [Larkin] back out there.”

The Islanders dropped to 29-25-15 off their fifth straight loss.

“I know the name of the game is winning, but I will say our guys played a really good game,” New York coach Patrick Roy said. “If we played this game again, I’m pretty sure we would win it.”

Copp collected his double at 5:12 of the third period for a 4-1 advantage to Detroit.

Patrick Kane ballooned the lead to made it 5-1 at 6:22.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau hit off the power play for the Islanders at 9:34 to cut the deficit to 5-2.

Mathew Barzal then scored at 11:20 off a shot through a tangle of sticks and legs for a 5-3 score. s stick.

“It was 5-1, and our guys kept going at them,” Roy said. “We made it a 5-3 game, we pulled the goalie and we have some great chances to make it a 5-4 game. I appreciate that a lot from our guys.”

Larkin collected his double when he hit an empty net at 16:15 for the 6-3 final count on the scoreboard.

“It’s unbelievable,” Lalonde said of Larkin’s impact. “It’s such a huge difference when everyone is slotted where they need to be.”

Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves in the loss.

“That was definitely unacceptable,” Reilly said. “We came in after the second period and said, ‘Let’s go out and win the period and just see what happens.’ Obviously, we can’t go out and start the period like that.”

Penguins double time past Red Wings, 6-3

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In Pittsburgh, the Penguins rebounded from a 7-4 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday night with a 6-3 win over the struggling Detroit Red Wings.

Sidney Crosby  had a goal and two points in the win, he ended an 11-game drought on the goal sheet.

“I thought it was good,” Crosby said. “Today, I thought we worked hard, generated a lot, especially in the first half of the game. That was the difference. Just converted.”

Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves in the win.

The Pens improved to 30-28-9.

“I thought we were much better defensively tonight, certainly, than we were yesterday (in a 7-4 loss to the New York Rangers),” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “Give Detroit credit, they’ve got some good players. They’re going to get some looks. But I thought we just did a better job defending with numbers and keeping the puck to the perimeter. That’s just an essential aspect of winning.”

The Penguins took a 3-1 lead through the first 20 minutes of the game.

Reilly Smith staked the Pens to a 1-0 lead midway through the opening stanza scoring with the puck glancing off his leg into the cage.

The Red Wings replied with a goal from Lucas Raymond at 15:39 to tie the game, 1-1, scoring a shot form the left side.

Crosby potted his marker at 18:53 for a 2-1 lead to the Pens, scoring off a rebound.

Pittsburgh the added another strike in the frame when Valtteri Puustinen scored with 44 seconds left  on the clock. He scored off a slap shot form the right circle.

The Senators were outshot in the first period, 15-4.

The Red Wings dropped to 34-28-6 off their eighth loss in nine matches.

“I think there’s a little recipe for this group,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “We played extremely well last night. Things we’ve been trying to emphasize, better D-zone, managing the puck. There were moments in tonight’s game that got away from us. This is a really talented team. If you’re not hard on them, if you don’t take away their time and space, that’s what it’s going to look like.”

In the middle frame, the Penguins continued with the offense, pushing their advantage to  4-1 with a strike by Michael Bunting at 9:34, collecting a rebound at the crease.

The Senators pushed back, a bit, with a marker form Christian Fischer at 17:35 to trim the deficit to 4-2.

The pens replied to the Ottawa strike with a power play goal from Lars Eller at 19:39 for a 5-2 lead after two periods.

“It is a playoff situation for us right now,” Eller said. “We have to win way more games than we’re losing to stay in the fight. We’re still believing and still hanging in, taking one game at a time. It’s a little bit of a playoff mentality.”

In the third period, Raymond collected his double on the night with a marker at 16:37 to cut into the Pens lead at 5-3.

Drew O’Connor iced the win for Pittsburgh when he hit an empty net with 25 seconds left for the 6-3 final count on the scoreboard.

Alex Lyon made 34 saves in the loss.

“We give their skill and their guys that much time on the power play,” Lalonde said. “They get touches, they get looks, they get momentum, they get rolling. Our first power play ended up being in the second period, we get five or six shots on it. We dominated the next two shifts, and we get a goal.”

Red Wings end skid at seven, down Sabres, 4-1

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In Detroit, James Reimer made 25 saves, and the Red Wings ended an ugly seven-game skid with a 4-1 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon. “I’ve been a part of a few losing streaks during my career, and they all [stink],” Reimer said. “I thought our sense of urgency was just incredible tonight. It’s a comfortable feeling back there when every guy is working that hard.”

Detroit moved to 34-27-6.

Tage Thompson staked the Sabres to a 1-0 lead at 11:22 of the opening stanza.

“That was two desperate teams going at it,” Thompson said. “We’re on their heels.”

In the middle frame, Christian Fischer hit at 5:35 to tie the game, 1-1.

“That’s just how I meant to do it,” Fischer joked. “That’s just being a bad skater — I don’t even think anyone tripped me.”

Detroit’s Patrick Kane pushed Detroit into a 3-2 lead at 17:40 of the the second, scoring off a pass from J.T. Compher.

“I think our compete level really elevated in the second period,” Lalonde said. “The [Fischer] goal got us going, but we kept so many pucks alive in the [offensive] zone with diving plays and staying right on them.”

Buffalo dropped to 32-31-5.

“We didn’t play the way we needed to play after the first period,” Buffalo coach Don Granato said. “We didn’t have the same energy and jump, and it slipped away from us.”

In the third period, the Red Wings continued to clamp down on the defensive side of the game, and added another two markers in the period.

Daniel Sprong connected at 13:52 for a 3-1 advantage to Detroit.

Lucas Raymond hit an empty net awith 67 seconds left on the game clock for the 4-1 final count on the scoreboard.

“We thought the second and third periods were going to be like the first, but they came out desperate,” Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin said. “We got back on our heels and never really came back.”

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves in the loss.

Coyotes hand Detroit seventh straight loss

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In Detroit, the once  darlings of the NHL campaign this season have fallen hard, already out of the playoff spot, the Red Wings dropped their seventh straight, this time, 4-1 to the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.

Connor Ingram made 28 saves in the win.

The Coyotes moved to 27-35-5, ending a two-game skid.

“We’ve played two good games against them,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. “They move the puck very well and they are dangerous off the rush. As of late, that is one of our strengths, defending against that.”

The Coyotes took a 1-0 lead on a shorthanded goal by Logan Cooley  at 5:10 of the opening stanza.

“They are growing and growing,” Arizona’s Nick Bjugstad said of Cooley and Dylan Guenther. “They are going to be elite players in this league, and they are showing it at both ends of the ice.”

Lucas Raymond was the lone striker for Detroit, his power play goal in the first period tied the game, 1-1.

The Red Wings dropped to 33-27-6, all seven losses in the skid have been in regulation.

“This is as tough as it gets,” Detroit center David Perron said. “We’ve got to find a way to bounce back, and it has to happen Saturday against the (Buffalo) Sabres. We have to put our pride on the line and be better.”

In the middle frame, Michael Carcone  restored the Coyotes’ lead, 2-1, at 8:36, scoring from long range in the slot.

Arizona took the 2-1 lead in to the third period when they added two more strikes.

Bjugstad extended the advantage to 3-1 midway through the third, scoring from the below the left circle.

Clayton Keller hit an empty net with just over three minutes left on the game clock for the 4-1 final count on the scoreboard.

“That’s the way we want to play,” Tourigny said. “We were in control.”

Alex Lyon made 23 saves in the loss.

The Red Wings have lost five straight since Dylan Larkin was sidelined with an injury.

“We haven’t handled this well without Dylan,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “There’s no reason for that. He’s a special, special player, and he’s our engine a lot of times, but we have very capable players.”

Sabres hand Detroit their sixth straight loss in 7-3 decision

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Om Tuesday night, the Detroit Red Wings lost the Sabres, 7-3, in Buffalo.

The loss dropped the Red Wings out of the second Wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are even in points with the New York Islanders, who have a game in hand.

Buffalo took most of the suspense out out of the building when they took a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.

They held a 7-2 lead going into the third period.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves in the win.

The Sabres moved to 31-30-5, and have won seven of their last 10 matches.

The first period was all Buffalo, and the Red Wings were skated around, over, and through in the falling behind, 4-1.

Alex Tuch opened the scoring in the when he staked the Sabres to a 1-0 lead with 67 seconds gone in the game. .

“We knew that they were coming back from a West Coast road trip and had a tough travel day yesterday,” Tuch said. “We’ve been in their shoes, been in their position where when you come back from the road, come back east, it’s really hard to get your legs back under you and adjust to the time change. So, we wanted to start hard and fast, and we were able to do so tonight.”

Bowen Byram , who had a double in the win, potted his first at 10:09 of the first, scoring off a deflection.

“Coming to a new team, you definitely want to help the team win any way you can,” Byram said. “If that’s scoring goals, blocking shots or playing physical, good [defense], whatever it might be, it’s a good feeling to be helping out there. I thought we had a lot of guys that played well tonight and, like I’ve been saying, we’ve got to continue that down the stretch.”

Detroit’s Ben Chiarot trimmed the deficit to 2-1 when he scored at 12:37.

Zach Benson replied for the Sabres with seven minutes left in the first for a 3-1 advantage,scoring off a shot form the left circle.

Jeff Skinner closed out then scoring in the first period at 15:29 to balloon the lead to 4-1 headed to the second period.

Detroit dropped 33-26-6 off their sixth straight loss.

“Obviously, we all know that game we just put out there wasn’t what we need at this time of year, and especially with the circumstances that we have on hand,” Detroit’s Jeff Petry said. “So, I think everybody realizes that and knows that we have to be better.”

In the middle frame, the Sabres added three more markers to the Red Wings’ single.

The Sabres scored first on a strike by Connor Clifton extended at 4:27 of the middle frame for a 5-1 lead.

Byram collected his double at 9:05, scoring off a rebound for a 6-1 lead.

“It feels good, obviously, to help the team get the two points,” Benson said. “I thought overall collectively, we played a really good hockey game. “Obviously, ‘Bo’ has been awesome since he’s arrived, and just a lot of guys in this room. Obviously, ‘Upie’ (Luukkonen) was good again. You could go through all these guys.”

Detroit stopped the run with a goal from Lucas Raymond at 9:29, scoring from the slot for a 6-2 count.

JJ Peterka +responded four minutes later for a 7-2 score headed to the third period.

“This is not on the goaltending at all. We left the goalies out to dry,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “Poor Alex, in the first period, didn’t have much of a chance. Your first look is Tuch coming 100 miles an hour down the middle of the ice. Like, that’s on us, a soft play up the middle, breakaway. They’re a team, if you give them easy offense, they’re going to [put you away]. That’s exactly what we did in the first period.”

Detroit added one to the final count with a marker from Jake Walman at 17:32 for the 7-3 final count on the scoreboard.

Alex Lyon got the start, yielding four goals in the opening stanza, making 10 saves, before getting the hook in the first.

James Reimer made 22 saves in a mop up role.