DETROIT -- There were a number of scenarios entering Tuesday's game that would have ended with the Penguins clinching a playoff berth for the 13th consecutive season, the longest active postseason appearance streak.
It didn't happen, not on this night. The Penguins fell 4-1 to a Red Wings squad that was nearly half-comprised of players from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. The Penguins didn't gain any ground in the playoff push from any out-of-town game, either. The Canadiens defeated the Lightning, 4-2, and the Hurricanes beat the Maple Leafs 4-1.
With two games remaining in the season, a playoff spot isn't guaranteed.
"You only have so many chances to clinch," Sidney Crosby said after the game. "We've got these guys again, so we've got to regroup. But we did some good things, we've just got to look at our mistakes, and find a way to execute a little better around the net. If we do that, we'll get the result we want."
While the Penguins did end up outshooting the Red Wings by a 39-26 margin, they were outplayed for much of the game.
"They played us well, they really did," said Erik Gudbranson. "They kind of shut us down in their own end, didn't really give us too much. I thought overall we played a pretty good game, they capitalized on their chances when they had them. Their goalie played well."
Gudbranson and Matt Murray both mentioned the Red Wings' speed as a factor in the game. The young Red Wings like Dylan Larkin, Andreas Athanasiou, and Tyler Bertuzzi set the pace.
"They put pucks in the areas if you get your shots blocked, it's a footrace. And they're pretty good at it," said Gudbranson. "That was their game plan and they executed it."
Looking to give his team a spark, Mike Sullivan shuffled his line combinations throughout the game. Teddy Blueger moved to fourth-line center, and Matt Cullen took his spot on the third line. Bryan Rust was taken off of the top line, and both Dominik Simon and Phil Kessel saw time in his place. Kessel's stint on the top line was the only move that really gave the Penguins a spark, and Kessel scored his first goal since March 14, and his first even-strength goal since Jan. 30:
The Penguins will have another shot to clinch on Thursday, at home against the Red Wings. They'll have to move on from this loss and be better prepared for the rematch, and look to avoid giving the Red Wings opportunities to use their speed.
Sullivan said that the Penguins can't go into next game frustrated over not clinching a playoff spot yet, calling it a "useless emotion."
"I think we've got to have a short memory," Murray said of moving on from the loss. "We're just going to be worried about the next one."
"It's good that we get to get right back at it," said Gudbranson. "Obviously we want to get this spot locked down, there's a lot of work ahead of us before we do that."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THREE STARS
My curtain calls go to …
1. Tyler Bertuzzi
Red Wings left winger
The opening goal, game-winning goal, and he set up the empty-netter.
2. Anthony Mantha
Red Wings right winger
Two goals in the third period to put the game out of reach for the Penguins.
3. Jimmy Howard
Red Wings goaltender
38 saves on 39 shots.
THE GOOD
Murray gave the Penguins a chance to win the game.
He made 22 saves on 25 shots, and it's really hard to fault him for the goals. On the first goal from Bertuzzi, he appeared to have made an incredible glove save at the goal line. After a review, it was clear that the puck, while inside his glove, just did cross over the goal line. Still, it was an impressive move on his part:
"I didn't think it would be (a goal)," Murray said afterwards. "Obviously they were sure about it. They got more replays than we did."
There wasn't much else Murray could have done on the second goal from Bertuzzi, either. It was just a great play:
In the third period, Murray shut down the speedy Athanasiou with a save to keep the Penguins within one goal:
Athanasiou definitely showed some of that dangerous speed on that shot, but Murray was able to react and make the save. If he plays like this Thursday night, and the skaters in front of him can correct some of the mistakes made in Tuesday's game, he'll give his team a good chance to finally clinch a spot.
THE BAD
Like I said in the morning skate report, you can't underestimate the Red Wings based on their spot in the standings and their very young roster. The team doesn't exactly have much to play for in their remaining games, but these young players absolutely do. They're auditioning for their jobs, for an NHL roster spot next season. The kids are incredibly fast, too. So this game was expected to still be a challenge.
But still ... just one goal against this Red Wings team?
The Penguins, right now, don't look like a team that could pull off a real playoff run.
They obviously had a strong month of March, with a 10-3-3 record. There were periods throughout the month where the Penguins were able to put together four wins within a span of seven games or less. And yet, they can still come out and put together a game like this one against a skilled but inexperienced team, despite having everything to play for.
The Penguins were outplayed, but the Red Wings still made their fair share of mistakes, as young teams do. The Red Wings were credited with 16 giveaways to the Penguins' 11, and the Penguins really weren't able to capitalize on those mistakes. Playoff teams aren't going to be making that many mistakes. Playoff teams are fast, too.
Injuries definitely play a part of the Penguins' struggle, and the team hasn't been able to find consistent combinations that work from the top down throughout the duration of these injuries. It's not yet clear when the Penguins will get any of those players back, either. Sullivan has said that Malkin is the closest to returning between he and Letang, and Malkin has only skated once with the team since his injury and isn't taking contact.
If the Penguins don't get at least Malkin back before Game 1, they're in trouble no matter who they match up against in the first round.
THE OTHER SIDE
The Red Wings extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 32-38-10, including a record of 8-2 in their previous 10 games
The No. 1 star for the Red Wings was undoubtedly Bertuzzi. After scoring two goals and an assist, Tuesday was his fourth consecutive game with three points, the first player in Red Wings history to achieve the feat and the first NHL player to do so since 2005.
"I think I'm a little shocked right now; it is hard to comprehend this," Bertuzzi said of the streak. "I just have to thank my teammates, and especially my linemates. We've having fun playing hockey right now."
It's still crazy to think about how young this Red Wings team really is right now. Only two skaters in the lineup -- Darren Helm and Niklas Kronwall -- are over the age of 30. 11 skaters in the lineup are under the age of 25.
The Red Wings aren't doing themselves any favors in the Jack Hughes draft lottery odds by their play lately, but the future looks bright for the team.
THE DATA
• Erik Gudbranson led the Penguins with four hits
• Nick Bjugstad led all Penguins with nine shot attempts, and six shots on goal.
• Sidney Crosby went 14-5 in the faceoff circle, a 74% success rate.
• With 6:34 of ice time, this was the most Adam Johnson has played in a game since his recall.
• Phil Kessel's goal was his first even-strength goal since Jan. 30.
• The game was Matt Cullen's 1,514th, tying Steve Yzerman for 19th all-time games-played.
THE INJURIES
• Kris Letang, defenseman, missed his fourth game with a new upper-body injury. He is day-day, according to Sullivan, and has resumed skating.
• Evgeni Malkin, center, missed his eighth game with an apparent rib injury. He’s been skating on his own and has had one team practice in a non-contact jersey.
• Zach Aston-Reese, forward, missed his 11th game with a hip injury and is considered to be out longer-term. He skated with the other injured players for the first time Sunday morning.
• Chad Ruhwedel, defenseman, missed his 17th game with an upper-body injury and is also considered to be out longer-term. He is skating on his own.
• Brian Dumoulin, defenseman, missed his first game with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
THE LINEUPS
Sullivan’s lines and pairings:
Guentzel — Crosby — Rust
Simon — Bjugstad — Hornqvist
McCann — Blueger — Kessel
Johnson — Cullen — Wilson
Maatta — Trotman
Pettersson — Gudbranson
Johnson — Schultz
And for Blashill's Red Wings:
Bertuzzi -- Larkin -- Mantha
Helm -- Athanasiou -- Hirose
Kuffner -- Ehn -- Frk
Puempel -- Turgeon
Kronwall -- Hronek
Hicketts -- Bowey
Chelios -- McIlrath
Witkowski
THE SCHEDULE
The Penguins practice in Cranberry at 12 p.m. on Wednesday. Bradford will be there. The Penguins will be back in action at home on Thursday against the Red Wings at 7:08 p.m. Dejan, Sunday, Bradford and I will all be there for that one. The team has another 12 p.m. practice on Friday, followed by the last game of the regular season on Saturday, at home at 7:08 p.m. against the Rangers.
THE COVERAGE
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MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Penguins at Red Wings, Detroit, April 2, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS