Raymond's hat trick earns Wings one point in 6-5 OT loss against Penguins

Pittsburgh — The Red Wings were resilient Thursday but just not quite enough to earn two points.

Erik Karlsson scored at 1 minute, 40 seconds of overtime, set up by Sidney Crosby who had a dominant game (including his 1,000th career assist on the Karlsson goal), giving Pittsburgh a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Wings. Crosby found Karlsson in the slot and Karlsson ripped a shot past goaltender Alex Lyon.

The Wings rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the third period, and at least earned a point in the standings. But they could have used two.

With the victory, Pittsburgh moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 86 points. Detroit has 85 points, as does Washington (who lost in Buffalo) and Philadelphia (who defeated the New York Rangers).

"It's hard, one point again, they got two and that's a team that we need to catch," captain Dylan Larkin said. "The positive is the no quit. They played pretty well and we're right there, we get a chance in overtime and they get theirs and they score.

"It hurts. But one thing our group has done is we pick ourselves up and keep fighting."

BOX SCORE: Penguins 6, Red Wings 5 (OT)

Lucas Raymond, who was the Wings' best player, completed his hat trick Thursday tying the game 5-5 at 14 minutes, 53 seconds. Larkin found Raymond all alone down the middle of the ice and Raymond made no mistake for his third goal, and 29th of the season against goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.

Larkin cut the lead to 5-4 at 12:56, with his 32nd goal. Raymond centered the puck to Larkin in the slot — after the Wings had just killed a Pittsburgh power play — and Larkin beat Nedeljkovic.

Jeff Petry added the other Wings goal.

Here are the talking points from this game:

Raymond's dominance

Raymond had three goals and an assist, his second career hat trick, and played a dominant 21 minutes, 20 seconds.

Raymond now has 29 goals for the season and has been playing his best hockey during this late-season push toward the playoffs. It's a wonderful sign for the Wings.

"The way Lucas played tonight, if you're looking at a step in his career, then that's the performance that I'm very impressed by," Larkin said. "That's a good statement to the hockey world."

Raymond scored twice in the first period, both times drawing the Wings even. In the third period, with the Wings trailing 5-3, Raymond set up Larkin in the slot to make it 5-4, then Larkin found Raymond alone down the middle tying the game.

"It's fun games," said Raymond of these late-season showdowns. "Everyone in this room feels like it. We have a lot of competitive guys in here and these are the type of games you play for."

Coach Derek Lalonde has been pleased with the way Raymond has steadily increased his all-around game.

"Luke's been building his game for a while now," Lalonde said. "That line had some good jump. (Alex) DeBrincat had a good game for us (three assists) and Dylan drives us every night (one goal, two assists).

"I mean a hat trick on the road in a must win game this late in the season. it's really good on him (Raymond) and we needed it for the point (in the standings)."

The playoff picture

The Wings are very much in the thick of things, trailing Pittsburgh by one point with three games to go, but now the road game Saturday in Toronto becomes the next biggest game of the season for the Wings.

But not getting the full two points against the Penguins did hurt.

"There's a path there," Larkin said. "Pittsburgh played real well. We have to get the two points. We have to go into Toronto and get two points. To pick ourselves up and regroup and come back and have a performance like we did (Thursday), in Toronto it's going to be difficult but this group has it in them."

The Wings reverted to some bad habits defensively and allowing the shorthanded goal in the third period was costly. But getting the one point may have been season saving for the Wings, who close out the season with a back-to-back Monday and Tuesday against Montreal.

"We got the one point and we'll take that," Raymond said. "But we'd love to walk out here with the two points."

Resilency

Lalonde, and many players, have talked about the Wings' resiliency this season, all the comebacks, and specifically the third-period comebacks.

There was no better example of this team's ability to keep battling than against Pittsburgh, being down two goals midway in the third period, and rallying once again.

"The guys did a great job," Lalonde said. "I don't usually address the guys after a game but I had to. I said to them after this that was a huge point. To be down two goals with seven minutes left on the road, I give our guys a ton of credit for battling and staying in the fight and getting a point.

"There's still a path there because of that point."

Larkin and Raymond propelled the late comeback, but the push came from so many different directions.

"This team has great battle," Lalonde said. "We're still in the fight and there's a still a path. I won't second guess this group's will and compete. They've battled all year and literally our season is over and our backs are to the wall if we don't get a point in this building.

"We gave it our all and got ourselves a point."

Crosby's dominance

At age 36, Crosby is having an incredible season with 41 goals and 48 assists and leading the way as the Penguins have earned points in 10 consecutive games (7-0-3).

Crosby was a threat nearly each time he had the puck and it was fitting his 1,000th career assist set up the game-winner by Karlsson.

"Crosby is special," Lalonde said. "It's tough when you're watching it (live), I don't notice other players as much, but the first goal he's keeping that play alive, and just from their last game (against Toronto), watching that third period it was amazing (Larkin's dominance).

"He's a special player, as good as it gets. With next echelon superstars there's a drive about them and he's been the best player on the ice (during Pittsburgh's streak)."

Goaltending battle

Lyon made 21 saves on 27 shots and Pittsburgh's Nedeljkovic (the former Wing) stopped 25 shots. Neither had his best game, despite both being on a roll entering this game.

"Neither goalie looked comfortable, but both goalies battled," Lalonde said. "I would definitely put Alex (Lyon) in that category. He battled. It wasn't a comfortable game for him and he got us a point too.

"There were some saves throughout. He made a couple of saves in those last three or four minutes, they had some pucks in the slot, but that's been him all year. We've asked a ton of him and it's been a huge positive."

tkulfan@detroitnews.com

@tkulfan