Detroit Red Wings get into playoff picture with 4-1 win over Rangers

The Detroit Red Wings keep the good times rolling. They have genuinely looked like a postseason team as of late. They finished up the win and defeated the Rangers in a 4-1 victory over New York. Another great job by Detroit, knocking off a tough opponent to earn two points.

It’s that time of the year when Detroit Red Wings fans have to start paying attention to other scores from teams within the division and not see how the tanking efforts are going. The Red Wings are more than alive in the playoff hunt, looking to grab hold of a Wildcard spot and hold onto it.

The Red Wings were able to keep their offense firing on all cylinders. The offense kept coming, and Ville Husso was more than steady between the crease, helping the Red Wings capture the win over the Rangers.

It’s a huge win to defeat New York; even with Jaroslav Halak in net over Igor Shesterkin, the Red Wings were able to keep the Rangers’ offense quiet, which says something in itself. Let’s dive into the action from tonight’s game.

Detroit Red Wings grab a big win against the Rangers.

1st Period

The Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers traded scoring chances early, but neither team came out firing. Both teams had some lapses that led to scoring chances. Both teams kept fighting to get things rolling, and the Red Wings were able to strike first.

A nice give-and-go setup on the zone entry set up the Red Wings’ first tally. Michael Rasmussen dished it to David Perron, who carried it into the zone, created some separation, and hit Rasmussen on the return feed.

Rasmussen sent it across the crease to Andrew Copp, who was able to send it home into the back of the net past Halak. Copp’s goal gave the Red Wings a 1-0 edge over the Rangers. Here’s the tally from Copp…

The Red Wings carried their 1-0 lead into intermission. The Rangers had the lead in shots 10-7, but the Red Wings were able to tap into the scoring first.

2nd Period

It was a quiet start to the second period, but eventually, a turnover by Robert Hagg up the middle of the ice turned costly. Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck was able to gobble up the turnover and head in tight on Husso. He sold the pass well with a good fake, being able to sell Husso before letting one rip under the pad of Husso to tie things up at one aside.

It was soon after that Red Wings forward Filip Zadina was able to restore the Red Wings’ lead. After a good play by Larkin to keep the puck in the zone with a turnover near the blue line, Zadina came away with the puck heading in on Halak down low. Zadina let one go for the far post, tucking it just inside the net for a Red Wings tally, making it 2-1 in favor of Detroit. Here’s the goal…

There was a big controversy about a 2-minute minor penalty to Ryan Lindgren, who could very well be headed for a fine from the NHL Player Safety division, but the refs got it wrong. It was eerily similar to Larkin’s penalty against T.J. Oshie that landed him with a 5-minute major and a game misconduct paired with a $5,000 fine. However, Lindgren got a two-minute minor, and that was all.

The Red Wings were able to extend their lead before the second period ended, though David Perron, who was making his way into the offensive zone, fired a wrist shot on net that Halak got a glove on.

He ended up falling over and coughing up a rebound. Perron followed up his shot and was able to come away with the rebound; Michael Rasmussen camped himself out in front of the net and was wide open with no one between him and the twine. Perron threw the puck out front to Rasmussen, who buried it for the Red Wings’ third tally of the game. Here’s the goal…

As if the second period was not long enough. There was about an eight-minute delay toward the end of the second as the broken glass had to be repaired. A dump-in attempt caught the corner glass and stanchion at the right angle, shattering it. They opted to fix things before the two teams played out the waning moments of the second. The Red Wings were able to carry their 3-1 lead into the second intermission.

3rd Period

The Detroit Red Wings were able to keep the offense rolling and convert on the power play. It was defenseman Filip Hronek who let one rip from the point, being able to beat Halak high on the blocker side. A great shot from the point with traffic in front proved lethal to find the twine for the Red Wings’ fourth goal of the night. Here’s the goal…

Things got chippy as things winded do—a couple of scrums after the whistle and a few penalties handed out, but nothing major. The Red Wings were able to take it home and emerge victorious in this one.

The Red Wings collected two points after beating the Rangers 4-1 to move into a tie with Florida for the second Wildcard spot. Crazy to think about it, but the Red Wings are more than alive in the playoff race as this season continues on.

After a huge road trip, the Red Wings were able to pick up a win on home ice, defeating the Rangers and helping their Wildcard hopes. The Red Wings play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, looking to take two points from another tough opponent. It might be time for Steve Yzerman to start working the phones.