The Detroit Red Wings' gutsy overtime win on Monday narrowed their path to the playoffs.
In the simplest case, if the Wings win Tuesday in Montreal and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Washington Capitals, the Wings will get the second wild card into the Eastern Conference and a first-round date with the New York Rangers. The series is expected to begin on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
A win would give the Wings 91 points. If the Capitals win, they would also be at 91 points, which would eliminate the Wings because the Capitals have 31 regulation wins to Detroit's 27.
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If the Wings get one point to get to 90, and the Capitals get one point, it's over for the Wings. If the Wings get one point and the Flyers win in regulation, the Wings will have to wait for the outcome of Wednesday's game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. If the Penguins win, they will reach 90 points and will once again have a tiebreaker in Detroit with 32 regulation wins.
Coach Derek Lalonde said months ago that it would come down to Game 82 — and here are the Wings.
“I felt that way all the time,” he said. “I can't speak highly enough about the players. This was the 13th game we were down third, and we got two full points. We talked about that after the second game. I give the players a lot of credit for hanging in there and for finding a way. They did it.” All year round.”
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