The Detroit Red Wings faced a disappointing 5-3 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, despite a valiant third-period rally. The Red Wings found themselves in a deep hole after the Rangers scored four unanswered goals in the second period, giving them a commanding 5-0 lead. However, the Red Wings showed their resilience in the final frame, sparked by the impressive performance of their fourth line.
At 7:55 of the third period, Michael Rasmussen fired a shot from the face-off circle, beating Rangers’ goalie Jonathan Quick and putting the Red Wings on the scoreboard. Just 20 seconds later, Klim Kostin showcased his skill in the slot, scoring his first goal as a Red Wing with a skillful backhand shot. Andrew Copp contributed to the comeback effort by notching his fifth goal of the season, bringing the Red Wings within two goals with 6:49 remaining in the game.
Despite the late surge from the Red Wings, the Rangers managed to hold on to their lead and extend their points streak to eight games, with a record of 7-0-1. The Red Wings, on the other hand, dropped to a 7-5-1 record.
One area of struggle for Detroit was their power play, as they went 0 for 6 with the man advantage. Additionally, goaltender Ville Husso had a challenging night, allowing five goals on 26 shots through two periods. While he couldn’t be blamed for the goals in the second period, Husso did surrender a soft goal just 1:40 into the game.
The Red Wings faced some adversity with injuries as well, with captain Dylan Larkin being a game-time decision due to an upper-body injury. He ultimately played 19:19 but was unable to contribute any points. Robby Fabbri also returned from a lower-body injury but had a quiet night with no points, shots, and a minus-2 rating in 12:42.
The Rangers capitalized on the power play in the second period, scoring two goals just 44 seconds apart. Chris Kreider deflected a shot at 7:31, followed by Vincent Trocheck’s second goal of the game, a powerful one-timer at 8:15. The onslaught continued when Artemi Panarin took advantage of a turnover by Olli Maatta behind the net, scoring at 11:21. Will Cuylle added one more for the Rangers with a net-front tip-in, making it a 5-0 game at 14:10.
Looking ahead, the Red Wings will return home for games against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday at 7 p.m. and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday at 1 p.m. They will then head to Sweden for games against the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs on November 16-17.
Despite the Red Wings’ valiant effort in the third period, the Rangers proved too formidable, securing the victory and continuing their impressive points streak. The Red Wings will need to regroup and address their power play struggles as they move forward in the season.
