The Detroit Red Wings looked like they were set to cruise when they scored an empty-netter to inflate their lead against the Buffalo Sabres to 3-0.
Instead, that merely began a span that surely made Red Wings fans very nervous.
Ten seconds after Luke Glendening’s empty-netter, Zemgus Girgensons scored the 3-1 goal. The drama truly heightened when Sam Reinhart cut the lead down to 3-2 with less than two minutes left in the third.
There were plenty of icings, some timely timeouts and plenty of tired Red Wings fighting through some scary sequences. Ultimately, the Red Wings had enough to grind out that win by a final score of 3-2. A big win against an opponent they simply had to beat.
The @DetroitRedWings win a WILD one, 3-2!#BUFvsDET pic.twitter.com/vQtbwKkEyv
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) March 29, 2016
With that, Detroit finishes the night with 87 standings points, the same as the Philadelphia Flyers (who won in overtime on Monday). Philly holds the tiebreaker with a game in hand, yet the Red Wings can breathe a sigh of relief in not losing ground.
They can’t relax, however, especially since they turn around and face the Canadiens in Montreal on Tuesday.
Still, they have to feel at least a little satisfying in managing to hold on this time around.
