Larkin scores in OT, Wings stay in playoff chase with 5-4 victory

Toronto — The Red Wings continue to live, ever resilient, in this playoff race.

And if the Wings do make the playoffs this coming week, they can look back at Saturday's 5-4 overtime victory in Toronto — with captain Dylan Larkin scoring the winner — as quite the turning point.

The Wings could have been eliminated from the playoff race with a loss in regulation Saturday. But with the score tied 4-4 entering the third period, they persevered, then killed off a Toronto power play with 2 minutes, 45 seconds left in regulation time to survive, earn a point in regulation time, then earn the second point on Larkin's overtime goal at 41 seconds of overtime.

"Man, it's one of the biggest goals of my career and I'm hoping this year to have some more big goals," Larkin said. "You can't feel any better. I knew Kaner (Patrick Kane) was going to look for that play and I knew I had my stick on the ice and he was going to hit it. I didn't even see it go in, but I knew Kaner and all the big moments he's had in his career and to see how excited he was and see to all the boys rush over, man, what a feeling."

The Wings, with 87 points, tied Washington and Philadelphia for the second wild-card spot. Washington holds the spot currently based on more regulation wins (30). Washington and the Wings have two games left and Philadelphia one.

Philadelphia and Washington play Tuesday.

The Wings host Montreal Monday and play in Montreal Tuesday.

"If we win out and don't get there (playoffs), you probably have to tip your hat to someone who won their way through and they would have won against some pretty good competition," Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. "That's why I felt that point (in Pittsburgh Thursday) was so important. If we could hang in there and get five or six points down the stretch we'd have a chance. We have two now and it's on us."

Goaltender James Reimer, playing his 500th NHL game, stopped 31 shots in earning a huge Wings victory.

"It's special," Reimer said. "On a night like this you want to play well and you want to win. It just makes it that much more special. The way the guys battled and worked and the resiliency they showed after the second period to come back in here and shut it down and play so well in the third period, I'm proud of the guys and how they worked."

The Wings took a 4-1 lead after one period but saw the explosive Maple Leafs scored three times in the second period to tie the score 4-4. Included in the Leafs barrage was Auston Matthews scoring his 69th goal on the power play, inching closer to the magical 70-goal mark.

Matthews had several good chances in the third period, including on that last power play, but the Wings were able to keep him off the board.

"Honestly I didn't even know he had (that many goals)," Reimer said. "He asked for one during the game, so I gave it to him. But he didn't ask for two."

Reimer stopped all 15 shots he saw in the third period with the season on the line.

"He battles, and the way he battles, it inspires us," Lalonde said. "We know what he'll give us every night and he did that tonight and kept us in the fight."

The Wings' penalty kill had allowed two Toronto power plays earlier in the game, but came through with a stellar effort when it was most needed late in the game.

"I was on the ice for most of the penalty in the end, I was breathing through my eyes," Larkin said. "We gutted it out."

Max Domi's tripping penalty put the Wings on the power play with 11 seconds left in regulation time, and Larkin made quick work of it in overtime, converting the feed from Kane.

It was Larkin's 33rd goal, and ninth overtime goal, tying Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan on the Wings' all-time list, only trailing Sergei Fedorov's 12 goals.

"Everything that guy has brought to our group, his will and mentality, the way he drives, the growth in him over the last two years as a leader," Lalonde said. "That's a special player, a special kid. He refused to come off (on the late penalty kill) he wanted everything, the faceoffs, everything.

"He had enough energy to get us one in overtime. Good on him."

Alex DeBrincat scored two first-period goals (one a power play), and Simon Edvinsson and David Perron added first-period goals.

Mitch Marner (power play), Nick Robertson and John Tavares added Toronto goals.

BOX SCORE: Red Wings 5, Maple Leafs 4, OT

But the Wings dug deep in the final 20 minutes of regulation time, when they most needed it, and kept the Leafs silent offensively.

"This group has done it all year long, I love their mentality," Lalonde said. "They stayed poised in a lot of situations. I l loved our approach in the third. We battled through it and just stressed staying on task in the third, and just concentrating on the third period.

"Our third period was excellent and we got what we deserved, the two full points."

tkulfan@detroitnews.com

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