Just when you think it’s time to finally count out the Detroit Red Wings, they stand up to be counted.
Down 3-1 to the Florida Panthers Saturday, the Red Wings displayed the character and experience that’s allowed this franchise to put together a 24-year run of consecutive playoff appearances, rallying for a 5-3 victory.
“It would be very nice to lead the game but this is hockey, the way it sometimes goes,… Detroit left-winger Tomas Tatar said. “Obviously we showed big heart to come back and battle through and get a huge two points.…
Coupled with Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win earlier in the day over the Philadelphia Flyers, it left the Wings three points clear of the Flyers for the final Eastern Conference wildcard position.
“It’s going to be hard until the end but we’ve been here and I think that’s good experience to have,… Tatar said. “It’s a fun part of the season to play.…
It was Pavel Datsyuk’s goal with just over 10 seconds remaining in the second period that narrowed the gap to 3-2 and served as the launching pad for Detroit’s rally.
“It’s a big confidence booster for sure,… Tatar said. “Down 3-1, to have to come back in the third would be kind of hard, so it was a huge goal.…
Dylan Larkin scored early in the third period and then his shot deflected in off Luke Glendening to give Detroit the lead. Datsyuk iced the win with an empty netter.
“I liked our poise,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “We’ve got great leadership in our room. I thought we stayed poised in those moments.
“I thought we did a good job for 60 minutes, that was our biggest focus. We’ve talked about it lots, make sure we play 60 minutes and make sure we’re resilient, and when you get scored on just keep going, on your next shift being real good.
“I thought we did a good job of that.…
The post-game celebration inside the Detroit dressing room could easily be overheard in the hallway outside.
“We just know how big is this game for us, especially when you are down 3-1,… Tatar said. “It’s something I feel like it’s more special when you battle through to come back.
“It’s a big win. Everybody played great. We are feeling good and we just have to get ready for the next game.…
Powering Up Detroit’s much-maligned power play came through with a pair of goals in the victory.
“Our power play hasn’t been good enough through lots of the year, it’s obviously well-documented,… Blashill said. “But I thought tonight the compete level was extraordinary.
“We’ve got to continue with that compete level on the power play to continue to have success on it.…
Part of the story of Saturday’s success with the man advantage was Detroit’s ability to create a steady net-front presence that was clearly troubling to Florida goalie Roberto Luongo.
“It is important to be in front of the goalie,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “It’s nice to see that the puck goes in when you’re standing there. We were doing a decent job on it before, Glenny and Abby (Justin Abdelkader) and (Anthony) Mantha.
“Some guys were spending a lot of time in front but they haven’t got rewarded like they did today.…
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