After last season's near playoff miss, the Detroit Red Wings are unfortunately familiar with coming close but painfully short, and they replicated that fate Monday night at the Canadian Tire Centre, falling 2–1 to the Ottawa Senators.

Lucas Raymond put the puck in the net as time expired.  It would've been the Red Wings' 50th of the game, and it snuck through Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark's legs for what would've been Detroit's second goal.  Instead, it came an instant too late, and the Red Wings lost their sixth straight game in regulation.

Ullmark was the star and the difference for the Senators.  He made 48 saves, the bulk of them coming in a second period during which Detroit sent 27 pucks his way but failed to beat him a single time.  The Red Wings had traffic around the net, had Ottawa scrambling, created quality chances (amounting to 4.58 expected goals according to MoneyPuck), but it wasn't enough to snap their losing streak, thanks mostly to Ullmark.

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The Senators led the game 1–0 entering the third period, thanks to a first period power play goal from former Red Wing David Perron.  Detroit found its breakthrough just before the three minute mark of the period, when captain Dylan Larkin and Raymond combined to force a turnover on the forecheck, then Raymond sent a beautiful no-look backhand pass back for Larkin, whose one-timer forced its way through Ullmark to tie the score.

However, with 5:36 to play, Moritz Seider took a penalty for roughing, and 12 seconds later, Dylan Cozens (the Sens shiny new trade deadline addition) put his team back as the Red Wings penalty kill conceded for the second time on the evening.  Despite Raymond's best efforts, that lead would hold through the final horn.

For Detroit, there are two contrasting reactions to the result.  On the one hand, the Red Wings were the better team over the course of 60 minutes and probably played better than they had in any previous game of the losing streak, so perhaps they can force their way into some momentum coming out of it.  On the other, the punch they delivered wasn't enough to get the win, which is what they desperately needed from the trip.

Instead, Detroit will get its next chance to get off the schneid on Wednesday night against the Buffalo Sabres at Little Caesars Arena.

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