The Wings scored in the first minute in the second to take a 1-0 lead, but the Lightning scored eight minutes later to make it 1-1.

Score was 2-2 with under 3 minutes to play and Perron scores and Raymond adds an eng.

Wings win 4-2.

Team Stats

Detroit goals are below.

Good evening and welcome to everyone. We’re all trying to stay positive here, but, the Red Wings do not make it easy. Losing their last four games in a row doesn’t exactly instill confidence. Counting on other teams to lose is certainly not an option. Winning is the only way.

Lyon is in the net tonight. Walman is back as well. Maatta is out. No other changes to the lineup have been announced.

It’s the Red Wings vs the Lightning. The puck is set to drop around 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit Extra, and on the Red Wings Radio Network WWJ (950 AM in Detroit) for your listening pleasure. Also available on ESPN+/NHLPP, BSSUN, and SPORTSNET+.

It’s a Live Blog!

NEW YORK (April 1, 2024) – Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman has been suspended for three games, without pay, for unsportsmanlike conduct during NHL Game No. 1166 in Minnesota on Saturday, March 30, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 3:30 of overtime. Hartman was assessed a 10-minute misconduct.

Hartman is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, will forfeit $62,195.13. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/hartman-suspended-three-games-6350098419112.

Watch below.

NEW YORK (April 1, 2024) – Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson and New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 31.

he roar of the crowd. The whistle blows. Players scramble, flashing blades against the ice. Hockey is a game built on split-second decisions and explosive bursts of power. But behind every crushing check and sizzling slapshot lies a foundation of cunning strategy.

In a sport where the margin between victory and defeat is razor-thin, NHL coaches are the architects of success. Let's pull back the curtain and dissect their secrets, the hidden tactics that shape the electrifying drama on the ice.

Two Tampa notes below.

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

About as surprising as finding the Washington Capitals in playoff position in late March is the goalie who’s led them here.

Undrafted Charlie Lindgren is having a career year eight seasons into a pro career that’s seen him mostly in AHL rinks — his persistence and patience finally leading to a breakout at age 30.

“I just feel ready for the moment,” Lindgren told The Athletic during a recent interview.

“Last year was his first full year in the NHL,” said Caps goalie coach Scott Murray. “He also had some minutes with St. Louis and Montreal, but I think last year being in Washington the full year, he came back this year with a mindset that whatever challenges came his way, he was going to stare them in the face. That’s probably the biggest consistency from him, is that he’s embraced challenges whatever they are.”

continued

from Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News,

Eight guys in white T-shirts. A single letter on the chest of the shirts. No. 34s on the sleeves and red hearts on the front. They were spelling “MATTHEWS.”

As in Auston Matthews. The star of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then they held up two gold balloons late in the third period to form the number “60” after Matthews potted his long-awaited milestone goal on the season. The building roared the final tally in a 3-0 Toronto victory.

Just another weird moment in a Buffalo season full of them. And a low one. A complete organizational embarrassment.

You can’t question the players’ effort on a night they outshot the Leafs 34-22, and out-attempted them 69-38. Their execution? Pretty inept. But the failures on the ice trace back to the coaches, the GM’s office, the business office and, ultimately, to owner-in-absentia Terry Pegula.

At some point, Pegula really needs to send us some smoke signal that he gives a damn about what is going on here. We assume he does, but we can’t know for sure since we never hear from him or even see him in the building.

Remember that chatter before the season about trying to cut off opposing fans from the building? Epic fail.

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from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

An NHL source is telling Hockey Now that the possibility of a coaching change is something that is being pondered by Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman.

According to the source, Yzerman might be considering a change in his coach in the offseason were the Red Wings to continue their free fall out of a Stanley Cup playoff position. And if that is indeed the route he decides to take, the man at the top of the list of desirable candidates on Yzerman’s short list would be former St. Louis Blues coach Craig Berube....

Current head coach Derek Lalonde is in the second year of a three-year pact with the club. Certainly, there is cause of concern within the team’s performance. Slow starts and competent puck management and defensive structure remain frequent issues.

Another NHL source was telling Hockey Now that on Friday, Yzerman read the riot act to his coaching staff and players regarding their lackluster performance of late....

Of course, it’s well known within Detroit hockey circles that Yzerman is tight-lipped about any moves he’d be considering. Only a select few within his inner circle would be privy to such infomation. Generally, nothing of substance leaks out of Detroit. That being the case, it’s always wise to take any rumors relating to Yzerman and the Red Wings with at minimum a grain of salt.

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* Six of the League's top 10 clubs will be on the ice Monday, including two meeting on Sportsnet and TVA Sports when the Maple Leafs try to clinch a playoff spot while facing the Panthers in what is currently a First Round preview (and a 2023 playoff rematch).

* NathanMacKinnon and NikitaKucherov have shared time as leaders in the Art Ross Trophy race for 129 consecutive days, but ConnorMcDavid’s brief reign (approximately 30 minutes) as the frontrunner during games on Saturday has added another layer to the battle with all three in action Monday, including McDavid and the Oilers on ESPN+ and Hulu.

* It's another pivotal night in the Eastern Conference playoff race as the two Wild Card teams – Tampa Bay (vs. DET) and Philadelphia (vs. NYI) – match up against the first two teams outside the bracket.

* Dakota Joshua scored twice in his second game after a six-week absence – including a late game-winner after a multi-goal Ducks rally – while Arturs Silovs won his first NHL appearance in more than a year to help Vancouver become the sixth club to hit the 100-point mark this season. The Canucks are one of seven clubs separated by five points or less in a jam-packed Presidents’ Trophy race.

Michigan State vs. Michigan at 6:30pm on ESPN2 in the West Regional Final in Missouri.

Two Detroit prospects play for the Spartans, goaltender Trey Augustine and forward Red Savage.

Kienan Draper (Wings prospect), son of Kris and Phillippe Lapointe, son of Martin, play for the Wolverines. Both are forwards.

Feel free to discuss the game if watching.

The semifinals are on April 11th in St. Paul, Minnesota. The final will be on April 13th.

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

- The loser point continues to turn the standings into more of a funhouse mirror than a true refection of the season. That is the only way to characterize it when Bruins are tied with the Panthers despite Boston winning 42 games and Florida 47 and the Islanders lead the Devils despite winning 31 to New Jersey’s 36.

The Bruins, though, have 15 losses in overtime or the shootout while the Panthers have 5. The Islanders have lost 15 after regulation and the Devils four.

So the object of the game is not necessarily to win, it is to get through 60 minutes tied. Again, this is another example of lowering the bar…to benefit teams that lose.

- I don’t know what has gone wrong in Anaheim with Trevor Zegras, who always seems agitated and/or frustrated—check out the way he destroyed the penalty box camera in Seattle on Thursday after a questionable call—but this is a young man who is clearly in need of a new beginning.

more topics...

"The Lord is risen from the tomb; for our sake he hung on the Cross." Alleluia! The Easter proclamation joyfully resounds: Christ is risen! He is truly risen! He who "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried," Jesus, the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, "rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures". -Saint Pope John Paul II

Happy Easter to all who acknowledge this Christian holiday which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his crucifixion and is the most important liturgical time for Catholics.

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

At some point soon, the Detroit Red Wings are going to run out of moral victories to give. Amazingly, that time still hasn’t arrived. And Detroit has no one to thank for that fact other than just about every other squad involved in this pathetic race for the final Eastern Conference wild card place.

If you ever pondered what the fable of the tortoise and the hare would look like if only tortoises were entered in the race, well, wonder no more. This chase is exactly that.

There is no frontrunner. Just a gathering of stragglers, dawdlers slowly lumbering their way to the finish line....

That’s because the Philadelphia Flyers were 5-7-3 over the past month, while the New Jersey Devils went 6-9. The New York Islanders are 2-7-1 through their past 10 games and the Buffalo Sabres are 2-4 over the past six.

Only the Washington Capitals, 6-2-1 through the past nine games, are making a move. And that move on Saturday was to surpass the Flyers for third spot in the Metropolitan Division. It’s entirely possible that we may have seen the last of the Caps in the wild card race.

Let’s look to the week ahead as the Red Wings continue their chase for a playoff spot.

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* The Avalanche and idle Canucks became the sixth and seventh teams to clinch a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

* Connor McDavid moved into first place in the Art Ross Trophy race for a few minutes Saturday before Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov reclaimed their lead on the five-time winner. The trio are separated by no more than two points headed into the final 19 days of the regular season.

* “Rocket” Richard Trophy front-runner Auston Matthews scored his 60th goal of 2023-24 and became the ninth player in NHL history to record multiple seasons with at least that many goals.

Gordie Howe would have been 96 today and Stan Fischler turned 92.

via Sportsnet,

On this edition of Saturday Headlines, Elliotte Friedman discusses Alexandar Georgiev's in-game outburst, when Lane Hutson could join the Canadiens, Scott Morrow joining the Hurricanes, Landon DuPont being granted exceptional status, and more.

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

Officially, the Detroit Red Wings are currently residing in the Sunshine State. In their headspace, though, it’s abundantly clear that they’ve entered into a state of denial.

Squandering a third-period lead, the Red Wings were able to scramble back and gain a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon.

“Obviously this one stings,” Detroit defenseman Jeff Petry was admitting to Bally Sports Detroit. “We wanted to get two (points).”

“It kind of feels like (Tuesday’s overtime loss at) Washington,” added Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde. “You feel a little empty, not getting the full two points.”

These offerings were rare honest insights from a team that evidently thinks with eight games to play, there’s plenty of time to right ship and get back on track for a playoff spot.

“I think our team game is growing,” Petry said. “If we bring that effort and compete every night from here on out, we’re gonna put ourselves in a good spot.”

Can’t you just picture Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, competitor that he is, seething with rage and anger as he’s hearing these comments?

continnued

Wings led 1-0 after the first period. A solid period for the Wings but Larkin took a puck off his knee early, tried to come back but he headed back to the room after falling on a faceoff.

Florida dominated Detroit in the second, but thanks to Lyon, the score stood at 1-0.

Florida scored two goals in less than three minutes to take a 2-1 lead in the third. Larkin then scored the tying goal and we are tied at 2-2.

The game went to OT with Detroit desperately needing the second point. No scoring in the extra five minutes so the shootout will give us a winner.

Florida with the only goal in the shootout, they win.

Team Stats

Detroit goals and other videos are below.

Good day and welcome to all. There are no expectations going into today’s game against the Panthers.

"This isn't throw tables, bang water bottles (time)," Lalonde said.

Seriously? When is the right time?

Lyon has the net today. Any other changes to the lineup are still being decided as of 9:30 AM.

It’s the Red Wings vs the Panthers. The puck is set to drop around 12:30 PM and will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit Extra, and on the Red Wings Radio Network, WWJ (950 in Detroit) for your listening pleasure. Also available on NHLN, BSFL, and SPORTSNET+.

It’s a Live Blog!

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

"This isn't throw tables, bang water bottles (time)," Lalonde said. "It's keep pointing things out. There are positives in our game and we just have to keep finding those positives, build off that, even a little bit more, and try to get some results."

Lalonde called Friday afternoon's roughly half-hour practice at Amerant Bank Arena, "a morning skate plus. A little more intensity. Just some habits that we want to work on with the puck. It's important to get some reps."...

"You have to continue to grow in those areas. It's a good learning lesson for our group that every play is really, really important this time of year, and against these top teams, you need every play. The message postgame was keep building. I liked our third period. I asked our guys to stay with it, try to build something in the third, and we had a very strong third period. And we got some help in the league, which is the reality of where we are at in the moment."

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* After the Sabres won the lone contest Friday, the final Saturday of March features 15 games including a doubleheader on ESPN+/Hulu to go along with a four-game Hockey Night in Canada slate.

* Saturday will begin with an NHL Network Showcase that could be a First Round preview as the Red Wings, battling for a Wild Card spot, and Panthers, jockeying for a No. 1 seed, meet for a matinee in Sunrise (also on Sportsnet).

* The Avalanche and idle Canucks can both clinch a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday. For more details on their clinching scenarios, click here.

NEW YORK (March 29, 2024) – Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle has been suspended for one game, without pay, for slashing Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny during NHL Game No. 1152 in Montreal on Thursday, March 28, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 19:55 of the second period.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Guhle will forfeit $4,496.53. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: https://www.nhl.com/video/topic/player-safety/guhle-suspended-one-game-6349961867112

Watch the slash from the bench below.

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

"The season is on the line right now," defenseman Moritz Seider said in a somber Wings locker room Thursday after a 4-0 loss in Carolina. "We can't find ways to dominate games and be a force but luckily other teams are missing out on the opportunity (to take advantage) and it's still up to us.

"We have to wake up pretty soon and just beat a team that we definitely can beat, that everyone saw in the past in us this year.

"Then, hopefully, we'll be on the right track."...

"A great opportunity," Seider said of Saturday's game. "An early game in Florida, against a team that is always tough to play against. But we've shown we can beat them in their rink (earlier this season). That would be a big step in the right direction if we got two points out of that building."

There was a sense of disappointment after Thursday's loss, a game Carolina dominated for long stretches. But the Wings aren't necessarily concerned, believing there is plenty of time to correct what is ailing them.

"Keep doing what we're doing. We just have to find a way to the back of the net," said defenseman Ben Chiarot, noting the offensive drought. "We're playing well defensively."...

"We have to get more pucks to the net," Lalonde said. "This time of year, with the way teams are defending, you're not going to get much on the rush. You have to create from the offensive zone and gets pucks to the net.

"When they (goalies) are feeling it and seeing it, you have to be harder around them. We've struggled against Bob (Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky) and we'll see him Saturday and it'll be the same thing. We have to get to that (hard) area a little more, a little bit more volume of shots."

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