The Detroit Red Wings fell 4–1 to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena Tuesday night.  The final score was not an entirely accurate reflection of the run of play, with the Caps surging late to pull clear in what had been a competitive game.  The third period began at 1–1, before Washington took full advantage of its chances when the Red Wings couldn't for three unanswered goals. 

In the end, it's a setback for Detroit's wild card aspirations.  Between the loss in Washington and the other results on the out-of-town scoreboard, the Red Wings now sit three points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, with Detroit having played an extra game and with three teams (the Rangers, Islanders, and Blue Jackets) separating the Wings and Habs.

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Here are five observations from the performances:

I. Capitals Exert Heavy Presence Around Mrazek's Crease

At the 6:36 mark of the first period, Capitals center Dylan Strome opened the scoring.  He did so by throwing a puck to the net—at a harmless pace, from a harmless position along the point—through heavy traffic, which Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek never saw.  Connor McMichael battled with Ben Chiarot at top of the crease, and two other Caps flashed across Mrazek's sight line as Strome fired with enough precision to strike the net.  It was the type of shot that had hit Mrazek Sunday afternoon against the Vegas Golden Knights, even when he didn't see it on the way, but it snuck through for Strome Tuesday night.

On the ensuing shift, Washington's fourth line got right back to the same game plan, crowding Mrazek and throwing pucks toward him from the point: hardly a revolutionary strategy, but one to which the Capitals committed all night. 

This trend took on a slightly different flavor for Washington's third and fourth goals: establishing a heavy presence around the crease, then having someone else drive the net once a lane opened.

For the third goal, Pierre-Luc Dubois cleared out a lane for Tom Wilson to skate into, affording Wilson an open re-direct on an Aliaksei Protas centering pass from just beyond the crease.  On the fourth, the gravitational pull of Alex Ovechkin opened up room at the net front for Connor McMichael to wack a loose puck home through Simon Edvinsson.

Over the last two seasons, Detroit has struggled at times with teams that play a heavy game low in the offensive zone.  Part of this can be explained simply because that tendency applies to a number of the best teams in the league (e.g. Florida, Edmonton, Dallas, and, in its own way, Carolina), and it's certainly a strength for Washington.  That presence was a driving factor in the Caps forcing their way to the right side of the result Tuesday night.

II. Rush Chances Missed and Made

About three and a half minutes into the third with the game still tied at one, Patrick Kane hit the offensive blue line with speed, descending in from the right wing for a two-on-one chance and firing a short-side shot that just missed its target.  It was a moment and an opportunity you're accustomed to seeing Kane seize, and he didn't miss by much.

Some three minutes after that, Alex DeBrincat skated in for a similar look, also down the right flank (though he hadn't built up quite as much speed).  DeBrincat targeted Washington goaltender Logan Thompson's glove side (the far side, because Thompson catches with his right hand), but Thompson knocked down, then covered the shot.

Then, roughly a minute and a half later, Dubois accelerated as he slashed from right to left across the neutral zone to rush wide on Justin Holl.  He didn't have a tremendous angle, but Dubois got the shot off quickly, and it deflected off Holl's stick and through Mrazek.

Tuesday's game swung on thin margins.  The trouble for Detroit came when the Red Wings failed to recover their rhythm following the wobble of Dubois' goal, instead conceding twice more in the ensuing seven minutes and change.

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III. Penalty-Free Game Lets Five-on-Five Prevail

There were zero penalties in either direction Tuesday night, allowing five-on-five play to prevail and theoretically affording both sides a chance to settle into a simple, rolling rhythm.  For Detroit, that mean not having the chance to build momentum on the sizzling power play, but it also meant not having to worry about any bleeding on the struggling penalty kill.  The Red Wings were competitive at even strength for most of the night, but there can ultimately be no real denying that the better team prevailed.  

IV. Red Wings Third Line Creates, Can't Convert

Building off a positive performance Sunday against Vegas (which helped produce the highlight reel goal for Albert Johansson), the Detroit third line of J.T. Compher with Jonatan Berggren and Vladimir Tarasenko on his wings played a strong game.  However, that trio failed to take advantage of the chances it created.

Compher had two excellent looks in the first period, but he couldn't quite get off the shot he wanted in either case.  Meanwhile, for the second game in a row, Tarasenko got himself into good positions—arriving at the right time to dangerous areas—but he's missed the net too often on the ensuing shots. 

If any of those chances had come good, it could have wound up a much different night for the Red Wings in the end.  Detroit's been starved for depth scoring all season.  In theory, it's a positive sign to see the third line at least creating quality chances, but the next step of converting those chances is obviously pivotal.

V. Caps as Measuring Stick: an Extra Gear

To reiterate, if you're looking at this game (against the Eastern Conference leaders) as a measuring stick for Detroit, there were positives to take.  At the very least, the Red Wings showed themselves to be competitive, but of course, Detroit is at a point of the season where results are king, and the Wings didn't get the right one Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in considering the gap in the East table from Washington at first to Detroit at 12th, the Capitals certainly showed a gear the Red Wings couldn't match.  It's not as though Washington caved in its guests for 60 minutes by any means, but the Caps showed flashes of that type of control.  There was a quickness and sharpness to Washington's puck movement, especially in transition, that stood out Tuesday night. 

One such spell came in the immediate aftermath of Strome's opening goal.  The Capitals defense corps made incisive vertical passes, which sprung their forwards into advantageous offensive positions.  That space empowered the forwards to switch sides in the offensive zone and create high quality looks.

When you supplement that puck movement and transition game with Washington's heavy game around the net, it's not hard to see why Spencer Carbery's team has been so successful this season.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins (28-30-10) had a good thing going until it all came crashing down in 20 minutes during the third period of their 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. 

Despite giving their fanbase some hope all week with a sliver of hope to qualify for the playoffs, losing to the Islanders in such dramatic fashion all but snuffs out that smoldering fire. 

Let's discuss another Penguins setback.

The Honeymoon is Over

Tristan Jarry has not looked better in the past four games, playing arguably his best hockey of the 2024-25 season. However, a very sloppy third period will likely lead to Alex Nedeljkovic getting the nod against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.

NHL Highlights | Islanders vs. Penguins | March 18, 2025Watch full game NHL highlights from the matchup between the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 18, 2025, condensing all the action into ...

Whether it was a rebound, an undefended player, or something else, Jarry looked like the Jarry of old in the third. He got beat by a wrist shot, kicked out a rebound for a game-tying goal, and gave up a goal on the first shot of a period with a bounce off his back. 

His inability to make a save at the start of the period led to a sequence of events that cost the Penguins their lead and ultimately cost them the game. The four-game win streak was fun while it lasted, but Pittsburgh showed their true colors on Tuesday.

Crosby Continues His Quest

Sidney Crosby scored a first-period goal to run his season total up to 74 points, putting him within six of 80, which would give him a point-per-game average this season, breaking Wayne Gretzky's record of 19 years.

The legend continues 💪

Sidney Crosby surpasses Wayne Gretzky for the fourth-most points with a single franchise in NHL history with 1,670. pic.twitter.com/tI7fi2AJsf

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 19, 2025

Without much to play for down the stretch, watching the captain continue to climb the NHL leaderboards is one season to tune in. He may miss Mario Lemieux's franchise record before the end of the season; every point he collects now only helps his quest next season. 

After scoring his 616th goal on Tuesday, Crosby is only nine lamplighters away from catching Joe Sakic on the all-time list for most goals with a single franchise. Considering he's got 12 games left, never say never.

Mistakes Glore

The Islanders scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway, which only took place because Kris Letang opted to play a puck with his stick instead of his stick. Meanwhile, earlier in the period, Matt Grzelcyk sent a backhand pass behind the net, hoping to connect with Erik Karlsson, who was nowhere in the area.

PIERRE ENGVALL! 🚨 #Isles | @fordpic.twitter.com/lKHxmI3GwC

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 19, 2025

Thankfully, the Islanders didn't score, but they had a good chance. They dominated the third period, outshooting the Penguins 13-5. Once the first goal went in, the home team couldn't make good passes, get quality shots on goal, and disrupt New York's momentum. 

Just like Jarry for 40 minutes, the Penguins hit all the right notes and got by, but once that first goal went in, everything unraveled, and by the final buzzer, the home team looked like a shell of themselves through the first two periods. 

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pierre Engvall scored the tiebreaking goal in New York’s four-goal third period, and the Islanders rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Kyle Palmieri had a goal and two assists, Noah Dobson added a goal and an assist, and Simon Holmstrom also scored to help New York get four goals in the third after trailing 2-0 for the second straight game. Ilya Sorokin finished with 20 saves.

Sidney Crosby scored his 24th goal, Joona Koppanen got the first of his NHL career and Tristan Jarry stopped 34 shots for the Penguins, who snapped a four-game win streak.

Palmieri got the Islanders on the scoreboard 17 seconds into the third as he chased down the puck after it got away from Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, skated in on Jarry and fired a shot in off the right post.

Dobson tied it as he knocked in the rebound of Bo Horvat’s driving attempt at 5:34. Engvall put the Islanders ahead as he beat Jarry with 6:52 left, and Holmstrom added an empty-netter with 1:32 remaining to seal the win.

Koppanen gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead as he deflected Vladislav Kolyachonok’s shot from the point past Sorokin 4:40 into the game.

Crosby doubled the lead with 15 seconds left in the first as he knocked in the rebound of a shot by Conor Timmins.

Takeaways

Islanders: New York won for the second time in five games and is three points out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Penguins: Pittsburgh was trying for its first five-game win streak since Nov. 4-14, 2023. Instead, the Penguins fell to 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.

Key moment

The Penguins had several chances to score late in the final minute of the first period. Sorokin made saves on shots by Rickard Rakell and Timmins before Crosby scored to give him 1,670 points for his career. He moved past Wayne Gretzky for the fourth-most points with one franchise in NHL history.

Key stat

The Islanders improved to 5-21-2 when trailing after two periods, and the Penguins fell to 18-2-2 when leading after two.

Up next

Islanders host Montreal on Thursday night.

Penguins host Columbus on Friday.

Highlights

Kyle Palmieri starts the third period with a goal ant cuts it to 1! pic.twitter.com/mNCqbbuWOj

— Islanders Videos (@SNY_Islanders) March 19, 2025

Noah Dobson equalizes! pic.twitter.com/6r5RomIGqu

— Islanders Videos (@SNY_Islanders) March 19, 2025

PIERRE ENGVALL!

The Islanders have come back after being down 2-0! pic.twitter.com/ZJasxv3P1W

— Islanders Videos (@SNY_Islanders) March 19, 2025

The Rangers, in a scrap for a final spot in the playoffs, failed to show much of a fight at all in a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Igor Shesterkin, again, was tasked with keeping the game close and, unfortunately, was the lone Ranger who showed any bit of interest in continuing the season past the regular season. The goaltender made a series of big saves, including several on Jonathan Huberdeau, after errors by Blueshirts in front of him. He finished with 33 saves on the night, but a pair of first-period goals were enough to sink the Rangers (72 points, 33-30-6) to a second straight defeat.

The Rangers had no forecheck to speak of (generating just one takeaway), committed a multitude of giveaways (20), and managed just 13 shots on goal, one off their season low. And it proved doubly costly as the Canadiens (73 points, 33-27-7) beat the Ottawa Senators to jump ahead of New York for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Montreal also has a game in hand.

Here are the takeaways…

- J.T. Miller, always looking to force the action since he arrived for his second stint with the Rangers, forced a save from Flames goaltender Dan Vladar just 24 seconds into the game. Artemi Panarin did him one better scoring on a snap shot from the left side 1:13 into the contest for his 30th of the season.

Calgary, playing on the second night of road back-to-back that meant they didn’t arrive in New York until the early hours of Tuesday morning, became the aggressors and penned in the home team, who constantly gave away the puck and looked stuck in neutral. The Flames had all the intensity of a team on the bubble of a playoff spot that Rangers lacked.

Over the ensuing 38:47, the Blueshirts managed just six shots on the Flames net. The visitors – coming off a 6-3 drubbing in Toronto and the lowest-scoring team in the NHL – fired 24 shots on Shersterken in net, beating him twice in the first and holding on for a 2-1 lead entering the third period.

Nazem Kadri leveled the score, slipping it through Shersterken’s legs, after New York failed to clear the puck on two rebounds in front of the net just past the midway point of the first. With just over two minutes to play, Matt Rempe’s left elbow caught Jake Beam's head in front of the Rangers bench. The Flames needed just 17 seconds of the man advantage to find an open Matt Coronato in the center of the ice for the go-ahead score.

- Rangers forwards didn’t manage a single shot on goal in the goalless second period and had not put one in on Vladar since the Panarin score.

The drought continued deep into the third, until Chris Kreider was fed the puck in the center of the ice and had a golden chance but despite the lack of action, Vladar was up to the task. The Kreider slapshot was the Blueshirts’ third of the period and first by a forward in 46:33 of action.

The Blueshirts generated a few chances as their intensity increased, but failed to generate any high-quality opportunities, even in the game's final two minutes when the net was left empty.

Only Kreider (2), Panarin (2), Miller (1), and Mika Zibanejad (1) tallied shots among the 12 forwards in blue. The defenseman generated seven.

- The Flames – who kill just 71 percent of penalties on the road, the lowest rate in hockey – allowed the Maple Leafs to score on all three of their attempts on Monday. Less than 24 hours later, they killed the only Rangers power-play of the night with ease.

The Rangers entered the game stuffing through a 1-for-21 stretch when up a man in their last eight games. They heard boos from the crowd at MSG sixty seconds into their first chance on the power play in the second period. The second half of the penalty was equally as uneventful as the Blueshirts couldn’t even gain the zone to set up the opportunity to create a chance.

It was Calgary who got a golden chance to make it 3-1 as Martin Pospisil hoped out of the box and had a chance on a breakaway against Igor Shesterkin, but the netminder was able to put off the attacker who put the puck over the crossbar.

- Panarin extended his season-high point streak to 10 games with his first-period marker giving him seven goals and seven assists during his hot run of form. He now has 23 points in his last 30 games.

Highlight

Artemi Panarin opens the scoring early with his 30th of the season! pic.twitter.com/2WteJMX7Fu

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) March 18, 2025

What's next

The Rangers, after dropping the first two games of a four-game homestand, host the Maple Leafs on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.