Familiar March swoon, gloom surround Red Wings after latest setback
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Detroit – The gloom around Little Caesars Arena after Tuesday's 3-2 loss against Ottawa was familiar and palpable.
The Red Wings dropped a game they needed to have, against a tired and injured opponent no less, and suddenly the negative vibes of previous playoff misses are being felt all over again.
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Just like last season, and especially two seasons ago when the Wings were eliminated on the final game, and also three seasons ago when Ottawa pretty much sent the Wings packing just before the trade deadline.
There's still time this spring. The Wings have 11 games remaining and are only a point away from Ottawa (with the New York Islanders in between the two teams). But getting out of this recent slide is an absolute must.
"We've been in that situation before," defenseman Moritz Seider said. "We know how much it can stink. We better come up with an answer for that. It's all on us right now."
The Wings have insisted all season this run toward the playoffs is different. The personnel is more experienced and playoff tested, especially after the trade deadline acquisitions of Justin Faulk and David Perron, and offseason acquisitions of John Gibson and James van Riemsdyk.
And, perhaps most importantly, the Wings said they had learned from the previous playoff misses. But winning only three of their previous 10 games (3-5-2) have made many fans wonder whether any lessons sunk in.
"We got to be honest with ourselves; that's a very winnable game," said Seider of the loss to Ottawa. "If we're not upset with ourselves, we're doing something wrong. We have to just regroup, analyze, be honest with each other. Tell each other the truth and then come ready to go, to get a little bit better.
"The next game is right around the corner (Friday in Buffalo) and we need two points."
Why Larkin's return might have had adverse affect
The Wings welcomed the return of captain Dylan Larkin, who missed the last seven games with a lower-body injury.
Larkin instantly made an impact, scoring a third-period power-play goal that cut the lead to 3-2.
"It was good to be back with the guys," Larkin said. "We found a way to get back into this one and that is what we're going to need down the stretch."
But coach Todd McLellan made an interesting point about how Larkin's return may have given the majority of the lineup a chance to let Larkin assume the greater share of the offensive burden.
"For as much as he means to the team and how hard he goes and us wanting and needing him back, that maybe even set us back a little bit," McLellan said.
“It was great to have him back,” McLellan added. “Don’t get me wrong, we need him. We need him to be playing and playing at the top of his game. But it's like, 'OK, we've got our leader back, we got our captain back,' and we can take a little bit of a breath.
"I'm not sure if that's really the case, but that could be part of it."
Why Finnie missed the last few minutes of the game
The Wings lost forward Emmitt Finnie late in the third period after Finnie was slammed into the boards by Ottawa's Ridly Greig. Finnie missed the last five minutes of the game in concussion protocol.
Finnie lay on the ice for several minutes and gingerly got up before skating off the ice.
There was no update Wednesday on Finnie's condition, as the Wings didn't practice.
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Red Wings experience familiar March swoon, gloom after latest setback