The hopes of Detroit Red Wings fans were shattered once more on Tuesday night, and the blow came in the most heart-wrenching fashion imaginable.
In a nail-biting finish, Patrick Kane clinched victory for Detroit in a thrilling 5-4 shootout against the Montreal Canadiens during their last regular-season match, sealing a remarkable comeback spurred by David Perron’s dramatic game-tying goal with only 3.3 seconds left in regulation.
Yet, despite the team’s heroic efforts, it proved futile.
Entering the game tied with the Washington Capitals for the East’s second wild-card berth at 89 points, Detroit found themselves on the losing end of the tiebreaker due to Washington’s superior number of regulation wins.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the 87-point Flyers were in dire need of a regulation win coupled with a Detroit regulation loss to extend their playoff aspirations.
Moments after Detroit’s euphoric celebration of Perron’s late equalizer, the Flyers, unaware that the Red Wings had already secured overtime and effectively ended their hopes, pulled their goalie with three minutes left in a 1-1 deadlock against Washington, aiming for a regulation victory.
However, T.J. Oshie dashed their hopes by swiftly netting an empty-net goal, propelling the Capitals to a 2-1 lead and ultimately securing their postseason berth.
Contributions from Daniel Sprong, Moritz Seider, Joe Veleno, and David Perron, alongside James Reimer’s 29 saves, powered Detroit to a dramatic 5-4 overtime triumph over the Canadiens at home just the day before.
Despite their remarkable comeback on Tuesday, Detroit’s playoff drought continues for an eighth consecutive season.
