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In this most critical stretch of the season, the Detroit Red Wings found a way to get it done against a divisional opponent that they're jockeying against for postseason position. 

Alex DeBrincat scored his 34th tally of the season at 16:35 of the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie against the Montreal Canadiens. It ultimately stood up as the game-winner, helping the Red Wings pick up a 3-1 victory at Little Caesars Arena and earn two huge points in the Atlantic Division standings.

Almost as importantly, Detroit's regulation win ensured the Canadiens picked up zero points. Detroit is now tied with Montreal and the Boston Bruins at 84 points apiece. 

As of now, they remain in the second Wild Card postseason position. The New York Islanders are a single point behind them, while the next closest team, the Ottawa Senators, is five points back. 

Thursday marked the return of forward Andrew Copp, who had missed the previous three games with a lower-body injury, to the lineup. Meanwhile, team captain Dylan Larkin remains sidelined despite having participated in the morning skate. 

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There was no score in the opening 20 minutes of play, which nearly included the second goal in as many games for rookie Emmit Finnie; his shot rang off the post early in regulation. 

However, it would be Montreal who broke the ice late in the second period thanks to a power-play goal from Juraj Slafkovsky. They scored just seconds into their man-advantage chance with Moritz Seider in the penalty box, the result of over two minutes of play being hemmed in the Detroit zone. 

Detroit caught a fortunate bounce early in the game’s final frame, as J.T. Compher was credited with the game-tying goal. Patrick Kane’s shot from the point was stopped by Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes, but the rebound deflected off Compher’s leg and into the net.

Just as it appeared that both teams could be destined for overtime, DeBrincat stole a rolling puck from defenseman Mike Matheson in the Montreal zone.

He broke in alone on Dobes and roofed a backhand shot into the net, sending the fans in attendance into a frenzy. 

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Montreal soon pulled Dobes and pressed hard for the tying goal, but Copp sealed the victory with an empty-net goal for his ninth tally of the season. 

John Gibson was solid again for Detroit, making 32 saves. Dobes countered with 25 saves. 

The Red Wings, who are now 2-0-1 in their last three games, face another critical test on Saturday as they face the Bruins at home. 

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This one suuuucks.

Brady Tkachuk’s goal with 11 seconds left was a gut punch, but the Islanders squandered two leads, going up in the second period thanks to Matthew Schaefer, and then again early in the third thanks to Brayden Schenn. But Schenn’s goal was the ONLY SHOT ON GOAL FOR THE ISLANDERS IN THE THIRD PERIOD.

Let me repeat that: Brayden Schenn’s goal was the only shot on goal for the Islanders in the third period.

The Senators were on a back to back but came out with a dominant third period, and got rewarded with two points. And since the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings won their games, the loss knocked the Islanders out of a playoff spot.

Bad vibes all around, especially for all the yapping about setting the tone early with two fights.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

First Period

As I just mentioned, there were two fights early, with Anders Lee and Brady Tkachuk dropping the gloves right off the opening faceoff. Shortly after, Brayden Schenn took on Ridley Greig and Greig did his best to hang on against a much bigger guy like Schenn.

And then Dylan Cozens took a roughing penalty after taking off Matthew Schaefer’s helmet, but the Islanders couldn’t convert on the man advantage.

Ilya Sorokin was strong this period, and made a notable save on a wraparound attempt, but Carson Soucy earned what could have been the save of the game, stopping a sure goal with his skate.

Soon after, though, he took a tripping penalty, and Ottawa closed out the period on a power play that the Islanders killed the last 11 seconds of into the second period.

Second Period

Nick Cousins took a delay of game penalty for flipping the puck over the glass after a strong shift from the Islanders’ top line.

That power play pretty terrible, since the best chance came shorthanded from Tim Stützle, who just couldn’t find the finish.

Less than a minute after the power play, Matthew Schaefer, playing despite some doubts this morning (apparently he might be nursing a cold or something like that) gave the Islanders the lead, picking up his 50th point of the season. Phil Housley, pretty good defenseman, is the only other 18 year old defenseman with at least 50 points in an NHL season. So, you know, just Matthew Schaefer doing Matthew Schaefer things.

Anthony Duclair blocked a shot with his knee and was down on the ice and needed to be helped off. He didn’t return for the rest of the period.

Artem Zub went to the box for cross checking Mat Barzal, and Shane Pinto would tie the game for the Senators shorthanded, while the Islanders did nothing with the power play.

Bo Horvat took a holding penalty that the Islanders killed, and then Lars Eller was called for tripping Simon Holmström, but the power play, which completely sucked tonight, continued to be terrible. The Senators’ penalty kill is ranked 30th in the league, but the Isles’ power play is also 30th, so I guess it really was an even match of mediocrity.

Adam Pelech had to hold off Stützle and Kyle MacLean stopped a follow up Jordan Spence shot to keep the game tied at 1, and Brady Tkachuk put the puck off the outside of the net in the dying seconds of the second period.

Third Period

Brayden Schenn scored just two minutes into the third, giving the Islanders a 2-1 lead that should’ve given them some momentum in a must-win game.

Instead, Ilya Sorokin became the MVP of the period, making a big save on Tkachuk after Cal Ritchie and Adam Pelech couldn’t clear the puck, and another save on a dangerous redirect from Cozens.

Then, Warren Foegele tied it, after the puck hit off multiple players, including Sorokin’s arm, bouncing directly to Foegele after that initial save.

Duclair came back almost halfway through the third and looked fine, blocking a shot with his stick.

Matt Amadio missed wide with a tip in chance, and Sorokin made a huge save on a 2 on 1 (another save of the game candidate in a better game), helped by Ryan Pulock and Bo Horvat who helped clear it out of the crease.

Ultimately, with 11 seconds left Tkachuk picked off a loose puck in the crease after Pelech got crosschecked in front of Sorokin and scored to give the Senators the 3-2 lead and win.

That goal keeps the Senators’ playoff hopes alive, just barely, and puts the Islanders in an uphill battle for a playoff spot.

Just an extremely frustrating end to a high-pressure game, and it felt like the Islanders barely matched the intensity of a team playing the second half of a back to back. Just a gut punch of a loss.

Up Next

Next, the New York Islanders close out this Canadian road trip against the Montreal Canadiens, who lost to Detroit tonight, which is what pushed the Isles out of the wild card spots. It’s a must-win game, although it’s unlikely they’d be catching Montreal in a wild card situation if it came down to it. The Islanders just need two points every game, however they can get them.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brady Tkachuk scored with 11.1 seconds left to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Tkachuk controlled the loose puck in the crease and squeezed it past goalie Ilya Sorokin for the comeback victory.

New York dropped out of a playoff position in the tight Eastern Conference, while Ottawa closed within four points of the Islanders.

Tkachuk and Anders Lee dropped the gloves on the opening faceoff in a fight between captains. Five minutes later, Ottawa’s Ridly Greig and Brayden Schenn also exchanged punches.

Shane Pinto had a short-handed goal to tie it at 1 for the Senators in the second period, and Warren Foegele sent a backhander past Sorokin 5:12 into the third to even it at 2. James Reimer made 19 saves for the victory.

Rookie Matthew Schaefer opened the scoring for the Islanders early in the second period, and Schenn made it 2-1 at 2:02 of the third.

Schaefer is the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to have 50 points in a season, joining Phil Housley (57 in 1982-83).

Sorokin stopped 23 shots.

Up next

Islanders: At Montreal on Saturday night.

Senators: Host Toronto on Saturday night.

The Montreal Canadiens had a date with the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night, and both teams desperately needed the two points in what is proving to be a very tight playoff race. Earlier in the day, the Habs announced that Josh Anderson was dealing with an upper-body injury and would be evaluated daily. As a result, Joe Veleno got back in the lineup to take on the team that drafted him. The Quebecer had watched the last 10 games from the press gallery.

With such high stakes, it was hardly surprising to see both teams play some tight and hard-hitting hockey. While the Canadiens’ run-and-gun offence can be very entertaining to watch, it often leads them to take unnecessary risks. With the playoffs fast approaching, they got a wake-up call when they dropped back-to-back games last weekend in what could only be described as a giveaway festival.

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Not Making The Same Mistake

For a second game in a row, Martin St-Louis gave Jakub Dobes the net. After the Czech netminder had a great outing on Tuesday, it was felt that he deserved to be there again. It feels like the organization has learnt from its past mistakes. Earlier this season, when the youngster was playing great games, he would still make way for Samuel Montembeault because the team wanted its starter to get his game back.

Now, despite Jacob Fowler being widely regarded as the Canadiens’ goaltender of the future, the coach decided to stick with Dobes, giving him the respect he deserves. There’s no doubt that Fowler will get back in the net soon enough; you can’t let him sit for too long, but giving the nod to Dobes was the right move in the circumstances.

The masked man rewarded his coach with another good performance. Through 40 minutes, he had stopped the 15 shots he faced, including a few tricky ones on rebounds, and he looked very comfortable out there. The Wings were trying to get in his face and take his focus off the task at hand, but he remained concentrated, even if he did get in on the pushing and shoving at one stage.

Managing The Game, The Clock And The Lead

The Canadiens led 1-0 entering the third frame, but J.T. Compher put the Wings on the scoreboard a little over two minutes into the period, and St-Louis looked very irritated by the goal. Not because it was a bad goal to give from Dobes, he made the first save, but the puck bounced off the Wings’ player and into the net, and you can’t fault him for that, but because it all stemmed from the fact that the Canadiens’ second line attacked with no regard to its defensive responsibilities.

Alex Newhook, Ivan Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen all ended up behind the offensive goal line, allowing the Wings to get a numerical advantage. While everyone was back in the defensive zone by the time the puck went in, the Habs have enough trouble establishing who needs to cover who when they don’t have to do it under pressure. The coach was fuming, and the look he gave his forwards as they sat back on the bench spoke volumes. There were only 11 minutes left in the third frame by the time Newhook and Ivan Demidov got back on the ice.

St-Louis rarely benches his top offensive players, but he's been talking about risk and puck management for ages now, and particularly in the last few days, he had had enough.

Everything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong

Despite leading for much of the game, the Canadiens ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 defeat thanks to one play going horribly wrong. Montreal won a faceoff in the offensive zone, Matheson sent it around the board, and Noah Dobson was unable to stop the clearing attempt. Then, Mike Matheson went to retrieve the puck in the defensive zone, and somehow he coughed it up to Alex DeBrincat, who wasn’t going to miss his chance, all alone with Dobes.

As St-Louis has often said this season, the Canadiens paid cash for their mistakes in that game. The coach often says that “good teams will make you pay for your mistakes”, and Detroit made plenty of mistakes as well, but Montreal didn’t make them pay. The Michigan side had 19 giveaways but still skated away with the two points in a game the Canadiens couldn’t afford to lose.

Dobes would have deserved better on a night where he stopped 25 of the 27 shots he faced for a .926 save percentage, but it’s not about what you deserve; it’s about what you get. On Thursday night, Detroit, the Boston Bruins, the Ottawa Senators, and the Columbus Blue Jackets all won, yet another example of Murphy’s Law in action.

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