Detroit Red Wings fall to the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-2 at Joe Louis Arena

The Detroit Red Wings took on the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena and came out on the short end of the stick.  The Penguins completely outplayed the Red Wings. Goalie Petr Mrazek was under fire right from the start of the game.   Pittsburgh would out shoot the Red Wings 41-23 on the day and force Jeff Blashill to change goal tenders in the 2nd period going to Jimmy Howard.  

The Red Wings attempting to make the NHL Playoffs for the 25th year in a row are now a long shot on making the playoffs.  They are marred in a race for the 2nd wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.  The Wings have 7 games remaining and basically have to win at least five of the games outright to have a strong chance.   They have been a bit inconsistent of late and need to put a winning streak together to have a chance. 

The highlight of the game was Pavel Datsyuk getting his 600th assist putting him in some pretty elite company on the Red Wings.  Datsyuk now joins Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman and Alex Delvecchio as the only Red Wings with at least 300 goals, 600 assists and 900 points in their Red Wing career.   The Wings now stand at 37-27-11 on the season.   These will be a telling last 7 games to see if the Red Wings again be part of the Playoffs.