Detroit Red Wings 5-3 Chicago Blackhawks
The Detroit Red Wings picked up an important victory at home, defeating the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5-3. The match, which had the most goals of any NHL game on Friday night, got going with an Alex DeBrincat goal 4:26 in. By the middle of the period, the score was even as Ryan Donato answered for Chicago.
The Red Wings' lead would be restored 41 seconds into the second period, as Lucas Raymond struck right after thr restart. It was the only goal of the second period, where Detroit dominated, outshooting the Blackhawks 24-2. It was perhaps unsurprising to see the hosts scored again five minutes into the third, through Andrew Copp. Albert Johansson's marker two minutes later made it 4-1, and seemingly, the game was out of reach.
That was when the guests came alive. Teuvo Teraveinen struck with 9:44 to go in the game to give Chicago some hope. The Finn added the team's third goal with just under three minutes to play, further boosting the Blackhawks' chances of forcing overtime. Unfortunately for them, they would run out of time as Marco Kasper added an empty netter for the Red Wings to ice the game.
Detroit are on a tear now, having won their last five. That now leaves them two points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conferenece. The Blackhawks remain bottom of the NHL with 30 points from 42 games.
Washington Capitals 2-3 Montreal Canadiens (OT)
The Washington Capitals once again could not get the job done in overtime, losing to the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. However, things did start off well for the hosts, who opened the scoring 2:56 into the game via Jakob Chychrun.
Montreal then responded with a pair of second period goals. The first came from Cole Caufield a quarter of the way through the frame. Then, Josh Anderson put his team in front, despite being shorthanded. The Caps now found themselves behind, and needed to find a response.
It took 114 seconds of third period play for them to do just that, as Lars Eller tied the game up. The rest of the period saw no more goals, meaning that overtime would be required. Just 75 seconds into the extra five-minute period, Nick Suzuki struck the winner for the Habs to earn another victory.
Despite the loss, the Capitals still lead the Eastern Conference by three points on the Toronto Maple Leafs. As for Montreal, they have now won their last three matches, all in overtime or a shootout. They are up to 10th spot, one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final postseason spot.