The Detroit Red Wings were facing a literal must-win game, and this time they pulled it off. Moritz Seider had a career night, scoring his tenth goal of the season for the first time. Additionally, Seider had four assists, giving him five points on the night. Seider now has 50 assists, a feat no defenseman has accomplished since Nick Lidstrom in 2008-09. Furthermore, I’ve been unable to find any games where Lidstrom had five points.
Lucas Raymond also eclipsed 50 assists with his two point performance. Raymond and Seider are the first pair two hit 50 for the team since 2007-08 (Pavel Datsyuk and Nick Lidstrom). Raymond now has 75 points in 77 games played this year. Accordingly, Raymond sits just five points shy of his career high 80.
Dylan Larkin scored his third career hat trick, additionally adding an assist on the game. Larkin scored on the power play, short handed, and at even strength. Furthermore, his 34 goals sets a new career high for the captain.
Alex Debrincat opened the scoring, tallying his 40th goal of the season. This was the third time in his career Debrincat has eclipsed the 40 goal mark. Debrincat is Detroit’s points leader, with 83 points scored in 79 games.
Finally, Patrick Kane added a goal and an assist, thus giving Kane his 115th career 3 point game. Kane now sits just one game shy of the record for that mark for a US born NHL player (Pat LaFontaine). In short, there were several high water marks in this critical win for the Red Wings.
Detroit’s playoff odds are still slim
Detroit is still three points outside of final wild card spot, however they’re not eliminated yet. Detroit is at 91 points, with a possible 97 if they will their final three games. Still, Detroit would need for the Ottawa Senators to lose at least two of their final three games for a shot. If the Senators win two more games, Detroit cannot close that gap.
The Red Wings have now tied their highest points total since Steve Yzerman took over as GM. Two seasons ago, the team had 91 points, tied for the final wild card spot. However, the Washington Capitals held the tie breaker in the ROW stats, thus edging out the Red Wings. The Eastern Conference is far more difficult this year, as the final entry could still be around 98 points. Detroit’s best season in a decade may still see the team fall short of the post season.
Still, the team is seeing multiple new high water marks being set. Moritz Seider continues to impress as Detroit’s top defenseman. Seider just turned 25, and could one day be the next captain for this team. Additionally, Simon Edvinsson continues to grow his game and the two make a formidable top pairing.
Hope is still alive, for now
The Red Wings can only control one thing at this point, and that’s winning games. The team needs to win every one of their final three games to stay in the playoff race. Detroit will face the New Jersey Devils next, and John Gibson may not be available to play in net. Gibson left the game early, and Michal Postava was recalled from Grand Rapids today. However, according to the team Gibson should be available tomorrow. Today has been labeled as a “maintenance day”.
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