With three weeks left in the regular season, the Red Wings entered Tuesday night’s tilt one point behind the Capitals for the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot.
While a late Patrick Kane slapshot earned Detroit a crucial point, they couldn’t overtake Washington in the standings, with the Caps earning the extra point in overtime, 4-3.
Through two periods in the nation’s capital, things were looking pretty decent for the chances of overtaking Washington. David Perron tucked home a loose puck after a scrum in front of the net for a 2-1 lead heading to the second intermission.
But the Capitals were quick to take back their lead as Connor McMichael’s goal tied things up less than a minute into the final frame and Dylan Strome put Washington in front a few minutes later.
Strome then put home the winner 1:55 into the overtime period.
Kane’s goal — his 16th in his 40th game played since joining the Wings in January — helped salvage a point, but the Wings are still looking up the standings as they try to get back to the playoffs for the first time since a 25-year playoff streak was snapped in 2017.
With Toronto in third place in the Atlantic and all but out of reach for the Wings, Detroit heads into the final 10 games trailing Washington by two points and Tampa Bay by six. Both teams have a game in hand.
The Devils and Islanders are also making a late-season push, just three and four points back of Detroit, respectively.