Red Wings Keep Their Playoff Hopes Alive With a 5-4 Win Over The Canadiens

(CTN News) – On Monday night, the Detroit Red Wings’ playoff hopes were boosted by a 5-4 comeback win over the Montreal Canadiens thanks to a game-tying goal by Lucas Raymond with 25 seconds left in overtime.

There was nothing we did tonight other than to give ourselves an opportunity to complete our work,” remarked Detroit forward J.T. Comher after scoring two goals in the game. “At the end of the day, all this did was give us an opportunity to complete our work.”

In the event that the Detroit Red Wings win their game against Montreal and Washington loses its game against Philadelphia on Tuesday, the Red Wings will be able to qualify for the playoffs.

As the regular season winds down, Detroit coach Derek Lalonde believes his team will earn a playoff spot after surpassing preseason expectations.

“It’s here now,” he replied. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

In overtime, a shot from Raymond’s right circle beat Sam Montembeault, eliciting a celebration from all of his teammates as well as screaming fans.

As far as I can tell, Raymond seemed to have gone into a coma.

It was a two-goal night at the beginning of the second period for Brendan Gallagher, which gave the Canadiens a 4-1 lead midway through the period. In the period, Montembeault made 30 saves for the team.

During the first period, Compher pulled the Red Wings within one goal, and late in the second, he scored again to cut the Red Wings’ deficit to two. In the third period, Alex DeBrincat scored to make it 4-3.

Gallagher said the building got started after a couple goals and octopuses hit the ice. “They’re desperate.”

As a result, Detroit made up for Alex Lyon giving up two goals on his first three shots by allowing two more goals in the second period and finishing with 17 saves against a team far removed from playoff contention.

After 25 consecutive postseasons, the Red Wings’ streak ended in 2016 when they played at Joe Louis Arena, the third-longest in NHL history.

When Little Caesars Arena hosted its final regular-season game, fans were desperate to cheer for a playoff team again. Lane Hutson, a 20-year-old defenseman from Holland, Michigan, assisted Gallagher on his first NHL goal.

He said it was really special to have all of his family here. Hutson was drafted in the second round in 2022. Justin Barron scored for the Canadiens in less than two minutes. Rafael Harvey-Pinard restored Montreal’s two-goal lead early in the second period, followed by Gallagher’s second goal to make it 4-1 late in the period.

As Gallagher noted, “we did a pretty good job of silencing the crowd for the majority of the game.”

If the Canadiens finish last in the Metropolitan Division for a third consecutive season, it will be the third consecutive year they will miss the playoffs after losing the Stanley Cup final in 2021.

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