TORONTO – There were not going to be any surprises for the Detroit Red Wings.
Not with Mike Babcock on the opposing bench, and certainly not with a team he coaches across the ice. And, in a much larger sense, not with the longest playoff streak in pro sports hanging very much in the balance.
The Red Wings weathered a late storm from the Toronto Maple Leafs before finishing off a 3-2 victory Saturday, and gained control of their own fate heading into the final week of the regular season as a result.
It wasn’t easy. It rarely is at this time of year.
“They don’t stop,” Jimmy Howard said after turning aside 32 Toronto shots. “It’s a typical Babs team. They play until the final buzzer no matter what the score is. They’re going to keep on coming – you’ve just got to find a way to play offence against them.”
Playing the second half of a back-to-back, the Red Wings did just enough.
Brad Richards and Mike Green staked them to an early 2-0 lead and a rare goal from defenceman Kyle Quincey in the third period provided the necessary cushion.
That allowed Detroit to jump into third spot in the Atlantic Division, leaving Boston on the outside looking in. It’s going to be like a game of musical chairs in the race to the finish, with one of the Red Wings, Bruins, Flyers and Islanders bound to narrowly miss out on a playoff berth.
There will be plenty of scoreboard-watching going on in the meantime.
“We live in an age where you’re aware of what’s going on,” said Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill. “But our biggest thing is we’ve got to win our own hockey games for things to matter. If we don’t win, we won’t get in.”
If the Red Wings run the table with regulation wins in their final three games, they’re assured of a 25th consecutive playoff appearance.
But that promises to be a tall task with red-hot Philadelphia visiting Joe Louis Arena on Wednesday before the Wings play at Boston on Thursday and the Rangers on Saturday.
At least they’re comfortable in tight situations. They’ve had to go down to the wire before to extend the playoff streak – claiming a wild-card spot two seasons ago – and are an incredible 27-8-11 in one-goal games this year.
“You don’t get nervous towards the end,” said Howard. “You win a lot of them and you know you can come out on top. It’s just good right now that we’re collecting points.”
“Well, we’ve been through this for the last month here,” added captain Henrik Zetterberg. “Tight games. The more you play in those situations the more used to it you get and the better you play.”
It has been the play of Howard in particular that has helped steady them of late, something that would have seemed unlikely after Petr Mrazek wrestled away the No. 1 job by the end of December. But he’s taken advantage of an opportunity with the 24-year-old now struggling.
The game against the Leafs loomed as a potentially dangerous one, especially given how structured the Babcock-led group has been.
For Detroit, the focus was on limiting mistakes and not giving Toronto any easy opportunities. Still, as the minutes ticked down, they were holding on for dear life after allowing William Nylander to make it 3-2 with 67 seconds remaining.
“Kind of what we expected,” said Quincey. “They play a very good, sound, system game. A typical Babs team. We knew they were going to play like that, and I think we did a good job just playing simple and burying our chances when we got them.”
Babcock, of course, spent 10 seasons in Detroit before signing a record-breaking $50-million contract to oversee the Leafs rebuild last summer.
No one currently employed by the organization has much interest in discussing the incredible playoff streak that weighs on their collective shoulders, but Babcock has some unique insight into what it means.
“The pride is immense, obviously,” he said. “The pressure? That means you have a chance. … That’s all you can ask for. Every year, with the good teams, there’s always some tough times. Everyone thinks you win 10-1 every night, but that’s not the way you win.
“You’re winning 2-1 a whole bunch of times.”
So go the Red Wings this season — again and again.
It’s put them in the thick of a race that is too close to call, but at least the players can look at the NHL standings on Sunday morning and see that they’re on the right side of the playoff line.
With days left in the season, everyone will be watching closely to see if they can stay there.
