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.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
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…