When a desperation clearance by New York Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh clanked off the goal post of the empty Detroit Red Wings’ net in the last minute of regulation time, Detroit coach Jeff Blashill figured that the hockey fates were about to offer his team some good karma.
“When they hit the post dead-on, I said to myself, ‘Lots of times when that happens it turns around the other way,’… Blashill said. “So I thought boy, we might actually score here.…
That they did. The Wings, trailing 2-1 but on the power play, stormed back down the ice and Brad Richards accepted Henrik Zetterberg’s bank pass off the backside of Justin Abdelkader, burying a shot for the tying goal.
With 1:57 left in three-on-three overtime, Pavel Datsyuk’s shot through traffic hit Darren Helm and glanced past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist and just like that, an apparent Red Wings’ defeat had turned into a 3-2 victory and a much-needed two points.
“That was a big moment for sure,… Blashill said of the Richards goal. “I can't say I was unbelievably even-keeled at that point because it was a big goal, there's no question.…
Detroit was the better team from the get-go and pelted Lundqvist with 43 shots, so Blashill felt that the Wings’ rally was nothing more than poetic justice.
“It was good to see it go in because in some ways, I thought we deserved that,… Blashill said. “Again, I was real happy with the way we played.…
At The Helm Helm played a strong game, with eight shots on goal and a pair of markers, his second two-goal game in Detroit’s last 13 games. He also scored a pair Feb. 14 against Boston.
“I always want to get pucks to the net,… Helm said. “Anything can happen when you’re shooting from any angle, rebounds, sneaky goals. I’m just trying to create opportunities, and the guys I’m playing with right now are doing a great job forechecking and finding the pucks and getting them to me.
“We’re just making an effort to put pucks on the net and create chaos.…
It was Detroit’s second straight come-from-behind win. Thursday, the Wings rallied from a 2-0 first-period deficit for a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
“This is kind of the time that the leaders need to step up and I think they’ve been doing that,… Helm said. “Obviously, Columbus (5-3 loss) was a disappointment, the first period (against) Winnipeg was a little scary but that was kind of a moment that we looked at each other and knew we had to dig in and find a way to win some games and put some points up, and make a final push.
“I think we’re playing with a little more determination and heart, and it’s a good feeling when you put everything on the line and come out with wins.…
Kronwall Out It wasn’t all good news for the Wings. Defenseman Niklas Kronwall left for the day in the second period after he went down awkwardly in front of the Detroit net.
Kronwall’s right skate got hooked up with the skate of Rangers forward Jesper Fast and he was stretched out significantly. As he fell, teammate Andreas Athanasiou tumbled into Kronwall. Though the Wings classified it only as a lower-body injury, the problem appeared more likely to be with Kronwall’s groin than the knee surgery that cost him 15 games earlier in the year.
As he left the rink, Kronwall suggested that he didn’t think the injury was anything major.
Kronwall’s status for Sunday’s home date against the Toronto Maple Leafs was uncertain.
“I have no updates, no more than what’s been said,… Blashill said. “He's going to be evaluated so we should have more in the morning.…
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