The Detroit Red Wings have been on the lookout for a momentum-swinging victory that would get them back to their level of mojo that existed this season up until the calendar turned to March and Saturday at the Excel Energy Center, it’s very possible they may have unearthed that burst of energy to pull out of their five-week skid and push them on the right path toward the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Jimmy Howard made six saves during his nemesis, the shootout and it took video replay to determine that Darren Helm scored in the eighth round to earn the Wings a much-needed 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
“This was a statement,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “We played a solid game again, I think.
“They played a good game, too. They played tight in front of the goal. There was not a lot of chances both ways.…
While the Wings were winning, both of their closest pursuers in the chase for a playoff spot, the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators, also worked extra time to come up with victories.
“It’s a big two points obviously,… Zetterberg said. “All the other teams around us won, too. In this room, we’re focusing on ourselves and playing good hockey.…
The win reduced Detroit’s magic number for clinching a playoff spot to six. Any combination of points earned by the Wings or lost by the Senators will put Detroit into the post-season for the 24th consecutive season.
Jimmy Dandy Howard made 22 saves and won for the first time since March 22. He’d gone 1-4-1 in his previous six decisions and hadn’t won on the road since Feb. 26 at San Jose.
“I just tried to have fun,… Howard said. “That’s the name of this game. That’s why we love to be out there competing.
“I just to tried to get back into the habit of just focusing on the puck.…
Howard was especially sharp in the shootout, where he won for just the second time in 10 decisions this season.
“I thought he stepped up in the shootout,… Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “That was key for us.
“Obviously we needed the extra point, both Boston and Ottawa won tonight, so it was key we found way to get points.…
Howard attempted a different strategy in his approach to the NHL’s game-deciding penalty-shot competition.
“I just tried to push my arms out, my hands out; make myself as big as possible,… Howard said.
As the shootout continued, Babcock also adopted an interesting strategy in determining who would go next.
“I just asked (back-up goalie) Pete Mrazek who he thought was any good,… Babcock said. “He’s the guy that faces them.
“So Brew (video coach Andrew Brewer) has done all the math on everybody and we go based on that.
“When it gets to a point, we just ask Mrazek who shoots.…
Now Behave It’s a good thing the Wings possess one of the NHL’s best penalty-killing units because lately, they’ve really been putting them to the test.
The Wings killed off five of six Minnesota power plays, including a second period five-on-three. Detroit has been shorthanded 15 times in its last three games but has only surrendered two power-play goals.
“We are finding a way to be in the box a little too much,… Zetterberg said. “We have to be a little more disciplined on that.
“The guys are doing a good job in killing it off, but in the long run we have to be more disciplined.…
Howard felt that successfully killing off the two-man disadvantage swing the game in their favor.
“That allowed us to get some momentum and from that point in the period it seemed like we took over a little bit and our power play was able to get one,… Howard said.
Babcock admitted he was puzzled by what referees Ghislain Hebert and Brad Meier determined to be a foul and what they decided was not against the rules.
“We took too many penalties,… Babcock said. “I didn’t like the penalties, to be honest with you. We could have been on the power play a little bit more.
“I usually don’t talk about that but I thought it was ridiculous.…
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