Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings are set to face the Washington Capitals in their final matchup of the season at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Red Wings, holding a record of 32-29-6 with 70 points, are looking to improve their standing against the Capitals, who lead the Eastern Conference with a record of 44-15-8 and 96 points. In their previous encounters this season, Detroit has managed one win and one loss against Washington.

Reflecting on their last meeting where they lost 5-2 at Capital One Arena on March 7, Albert Johansson emphasized the need for consistency throughout the game. “The first two periods [11 days ago] were good and then we gave it away in the third period,” Johansson stated. He added that maintaining aggression and effort for a full 60 minutes is crucial.

Detroit's recent performance includes a notable victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, where they secured a shutout win by limiting their opponents to just 18 shots. Key contributions came from skaters Johansson, Lucas Raymond, and Marco Kasper, while goalie Petr Mrazek achieved his first shutout since rejoining the team.

Head coach Todd McLellan expressed confidence in his team's approach following Sunday's success. “It reassures us that when we do certain things, we have a chance to win,” McLellan remarked. He highlighted that consistent execution is vital for achieving positive results.

Johansson also contributed significantly against Vegas by scoring his second career NHL goal and playing over 21 minutes. As Detroit competes closely for playoff positioning—currently trailing behind the New York Rangers by two points for an Eastern Conference Wild Card spot—Johansson stressed taking each game as it comes: “Every game is very important... Next up, Washington [on Tuesday], so that’s what we’re focused on right now.”

Meanwhile, Washington continues its strong form having won six out of seven recent games including a decisive victory over San Jose Sharks last Saturday where Alex Ovechkin scored his milestone 887th career NHL goal edging closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals.

Washington benefits not only from Ovechkin but also significant offensive outputs from players like Dylan Strome (21 goals), Aliaksei Protas (29 goals), and Pierre-Luc Dubois (17 goals). Commenting humorously about Ovechkin nearing Gretzky's record during Tuesday's match-up McLellan said: “I hope he’s not going to break it [on Tuesday]... That would be ugly.”