DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings aren't a lock for the playoffs just yet.
However, Tuesday night's 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in the last regular season game at Joe Louis Arena was crucial to keeping them in the hunt. Their 97 points have them back in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division, for now. The Boston Bruins (95 points) play Wednesday night.
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Beating the Hurricanes was just part of the equation for the Red Wings to clinch a berth in the postseason.The Ottawa Senators had to lose in regulation to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They scored three unanswered to force overtime with the Penguins at 3-3. Rookie Mark Stone won it for the Senators in the extra period, 4-3.
The Red Wings will play the Hurricanes again on Saturday in the final game of the season. But first they'll travel to Montreal to face the division-leading Canadiens on Thursday night -- a team they could face in the first round.
Tuesday game recap:
Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and an assist each and the Detroit Red Wings rallied from a third-period deficit for a 3-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at Joe Louis Arena.
Right winger Gustav Nyquist also scored for Detroit while goaltender Jimmy Howard made 30 saves.
Left winger Chris Terry had a goal and an assist and left winger Nathan Gerbe scored for Carolina. Center Victor Rask had two assists and goalie Anton Khudobin stopped 22 shots.
It was Detroit's final home game of the regular season.
Datsyuk gave the Red Wings the lead with 8:35 left when he scored from the slot after taking a pass off his skate from Zetterberg, who was behind the net. It was Datsyuk's 25th goal of the season.
Nyquist tied the game at 2, 1:56 into the third period with a wrist shot from the inside edge of the right circle that slid between Khudobin's pads. It was Nyquist's 27th goal.
Zetterberg opened the scoring with a power-play goal, 1:29 into the second period. Left wide open in front of the net, he made a move and put a backhand shot under the crossbar for his 17th goal of the season.
But Gerbe, who is from Oxford, Miss., about 40 miles north of Detroit, tied it with 5:52 left in the second. He put in a loose puck from just inside the left circle. It was Gerbe's 10th goal.
Terry gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead with 2:50 left in the second period. He drove in the second rebound of the sequence for his 11th goal. He also turned 26 on Tuesday.
NOTES: Detroit was without LW Justin Abdelkader (hand), RW Erik Cole (upper body), RW Tomas Jurco (upper body) and RW Johan Franzen (concussion). ... Carolina played without C Riley Nash (concussion), D Rasmus Rissanen (knee) and D Jack Hillen (concussion). ... Carolina coach Bill Peters is a former Red Wings assistant coach. ... Hurricanes C Andrej Nestrasil is a former Red Wing. ... Carolina LW Nathan Gerbe is from Oxford, Mich., which is about 40 miles north of Detroit.