On the seven-year anniversary of the final game at Joe Louis Arena, the Detroit Red Wings hosted the Washington Capitals at the LCA for what was undoubtedly the most important game ever played in the arena. Fans were on red alert when it was announced that number one defenseman and Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider would be a game-time decision due to flu-related symptoms. However, Seider took warmups and suited up for the game.
The battle between the two Eastern Conference clubs had most of the hockey world keeping tabs on the scoreboard. The playoff atmosphere was in full effect as both teams played relatively calm and poised to make sure they would not become shorthanded.
Three penalties were called in the bout, all of which came in the second half of the game. Detroit outshot the Capitals 17-8 after the first and 27-16 after the second. But Capitals starting goaltender Charlie Lindgren was the story of the night, standing tall and turning aside 38 of 39 Red Wings' shots.
Charlie Lindgren stifled the Red Wings shot onslaught.
Dylan Strome opened the scoring late into the second period with a shot from the left faceoff dot. Then, with a mere seven seconds left in the period, Alex Ovechkin notched his 30th goal of the season, becoming the first NHL player to accomplish that milestone 18 times in a career.
After a missed too-many-men call against Washington and a blatant high stick to the face of Andrew Copp that went without a penalty, Copp suffered a broken cheekbone from the high stick. Detroit was forced to pull Alex Lyon and go on the offensive with 3 minutes left in the game. Detroit mustered up an additional 17 shots in the third period compared to Washington’s right. With 1.1 second left in the game, Patrick Kane was able to bury the puck into the net during a mad scramble in the crease, spoiling Lindgren’s hopes at a shutout.
Derek Lalonde said doctor told him Andrew Copp broke his cheek bone on that late high stick that went uncalled. Going to have imaging to confirm
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) April 10, 2024
The loss to the Capitals allowed Detroit to leapfrog Washington in the standings, catapulting Washington into the second wildcard position. With Pittsburgh on the schedule next, Detroit has all but the season riding on Thursday's game on the road. The Red Wings currently sit at 84 points and must catch either the New York Islanders or the Washington Capitals if they want to play postseason games.