The suspense of whether or not the Detroit Red Wings would make the playoffs this season was ended Friday night when Jordan Eberle struck for a hat trick in a 4-1 win for the New York Islanders over the Wings on Long Island.
The loss officially ended Detroit’s chances.
Jordan Eberle had a hat trick for the Islanders – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
Semyon Varlamov made 21 saves in the win.
“[Varlamov’s] been lights out,” Eberle said. “He gave us a chance to win every game on the road there, and he did tonight. He made some big saves. There were some moments where we collapsed a little bit in the [defensive] zone, they had some great chances, and [Varlamov] was there.”
Anthony Mantha had the lone Detroit goal.
“It [stinks] to be in a spot where you’re eliminated this early,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “But that part of it [stunk] for a while. We knew we’ve been out for too long, and there’s no other word to describe it than it [stinks], and that’s a fact.”
Eberle scored the first three Isles’ goal in the game,
“Second period, first 10 minutes, we got a huge save from I want to say Greene/Varlamov,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “To me, that was a game-changer right there. The goals haven’t been coming easy. The second half of that period, I thought we were pretty relentless. We stayed on them and we got lots of chances.”
Leo Komarov added an empty net goal late.
[WATCH: All Red Wings vs. Islanders highlights]
Jonathan Bernier made 36 saves in the loss.
“I think the first period wasn’t enough from us, I think myself and my line (Robby Fabbri and Mantha) especially,” the Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin said. “We’re put out there to generate offense, and take care of the puck and manage it, and I didn’t do that especially. I didn’t bring enough energy to spark the team, and I put that on myself there at the start to try and get something going and get the team going.”
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