Kanata, Ontario – This felt like a playoff game, with the accompanying emotion in the building and bad blood on the ice.
The Red Wings and Ottawa Senators, two long rebuilding teams aiming to finally make the playoffs, got a taste of what it would be like Monday at Canadian Tire Centre.
From the Wings’ perspective, Ottawa did a better job embracing it and playing a style that resembled playoff hockey defeating the Red Wings 6-2.
Ottawa scored four goals in the second period, two on the power play, as they erased an early deficit and took the first game of this two-game in two-nights series (Tuesday’s game at 7 p.m./BSD/The Ticket).
The Wings (28-23-8, 64 points) stayed three points behind Pittsburgh for the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa (29-26-4, 62 points) moved to within five points. Buffalo (66 points), Florida and Washington (both 64 points) all are jammed into the race, chasing Pittsburgh, with the New York Islanders (69 points) slightly ahead of Pittsburgh.
Too much penalty trouble, resulting in six Ottawa power plays (and the two goals) came back to haunt the Wings.
BOX SCORE: Ottawa 6, Detroit 2
“Too many penalties, that team will lose to nobody in the league if you give them six power plays and you put on top of that letting their skill in behind you,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “We didn’t give ourselves much of a chance. It was a very winnable game, you lead the first period (1-0), you’re up 2-1 with a great response power play goal, but just the (Ottawa) power plays demoralized us. It drains your top guys.
“We were making tired mistakes, no rhythm, and we literally with the too many penalties, we gave ourselves zero chance.”
It was a physical game, befitting what was at stake, from the start. But the Senators had the edge, and the Wings didn’t respond the way they would have preferred.
“They were coming,” captain Dylan Larkin said. “I’d like to see us get our nose in there a little bit more, but it’s all of us. They have some big boys, and it’s a wake-up call.”
If it wasn’t entirely getting caught up in the emotion of the game, the Wings definitely at least got a lesson on how to handle it better.
“They’re a physical team and it’s something that doesn’t come naturally to our team,” defenseman Ben Chiarot said. “It’s something guys, especially the younger guys, are getting comfortable with at this level, so it’s good experience for the team.”
More:Magnus Hellberg excited about returning to Ottawa, opportunity with Red Wings
Monday’s game was a rescheduled game of a late December game that was postponed because of dangerous weather in Ottawa.
For the fans who kept their tickets and waited for this game, they were rewarded.
Tyler Bertuzzi (his third goal) and David Perron (15th goal, on the power play) scored Wings’ goals. Goalie Magnus Hellberg was sturdy in the first period, but the Senators solved him the rest of the way, on the way to making 39 saves.
The endless power plays, said Lalonde, may have contributed to Hellberg dragging as the game went along.
“Everything stemmed from the too many penalties, even our goaltending,” Lalonde said. “Hellberg was remarkable on the penalty kill, unbelievable east to west saves, but even he got tired. Gives up a long goal to (Brady) Tkachuk and fans on a five-hole (to Claude Giroux on a breakaway) and that’s a product of being in his crouch for a period and half on the penalty kill.”
The difference was the second period, as the Wings led 1-0 after 20 minutes on a Bertuzzi breakaway goal.
But the Wings kept tempting fate with Ottawa’s explosive power play, and the Senators finally made them pay.
Ottawa’s Jake Sanderson and Perron traded power-play goals, keeping the Wings in a 2-1 lead. But Drake Batherson’s power-play goal tied it 2-2 at 12:20 of the second period, skating to open ice and snapping a shot past Hellberg .
Ottawa then went ahead when Giroux got behind the Wings’ defense and slipped a puck through Hellberg’s legs at 14:10, Giroux’s 24th goal. Tkachuk on the rush from the hashmarks, Tkachuk’s 24th goal at 17:41, gave Ottawa a 4-2 lead.
Thomas Chabot’s floater just 47 seconds into the third period pushed the Ottawa lead to 5-2 and Tim Stutzle capped the scoring.
“It was a playoff game, they all have been, everyone is fighting for their lives,” Larkin said. “There are teams we’re playing against that are battling for the same spot we are.”
The Wings need points Tuesday to keep pace in the race, especially after having lost their last two games. They believe the lessons learned Monday will help.
“It’s good, hard hockey, and it’s the kind of hockey we want to be playing, important games at this time of year,” Chiarot said. “It’s great for our team to experience that.”
ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tkulfan