Detroit Red Wings win 5-4 over Montreal Canadiens, but will miss playoffs
Patrick Kane scored the shootout winner in a 5-4 Detroit win over the Montreal Canadiens in their regular-season finale Tuesday night, but the Red Wings were eliminated from playoff contention.
The Red Wings entered the night tied with Washington for the East's second wild-card spot with 89 points. The Capitals, however, held the tiebreaker over Detroit with more regulations wins and clinched the final playoff spot with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
Detroit has missed the playoffs eight straight seasons.
Daniel Sprong had a goal and an assist, while Moritz Seider, Joe Veleno and David Perron also scored for Detroit (41-32-9). The Red Wings prevailed in a dramatic 5-4 overtime victory over the Canadiens on home ice a day earlier.
James Reimer stopped 29 shots for Detroit.
Brendan Gallagher and Juraj Slafkovsky had a goal and an assist, while Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield also scored for Montreal (30-36-16). Cayden Primeau made 36 saves.
Canadiens fans got a first glimpse of some up-and-coming blueliners in the organization. Logan Mailloux made his NHL debut after spending the entire season with the American Hockey League's Laval Rocket. The 21-year-old produced one assist for his first NHL point.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Lane Hutson showed his moves, received loud applause and produced a crucial assist playing at the Bell Centre for the first time. He debuted Monday in Detroit, where he earned one assist.
Down 3-2 after 40 minutes, the Red Wings tied the game 3:31 into the third period with a shot from behind the net that banked off Primeau's pads and into the net.
Slafkovsky put Montreal back ahead with his 20th of the season, deflecting a point shot from Hutson at 12:46.
With their season on the line, the Red Wings pulled their goalie with 1:48 remaining, hoping to replicate Monday's late-game comeback. And they did.
After Montreal iced the puck, Perron scored with 3.3 seconds left with a one-timer from the point to force overtime and keep the Red Wings' season alive momentarily.