Despite the Red Wings appearing to lose team captain Dylan Larkin, the fact that he came back before the end of the game on Wednesday evening against the Vegas Golden Knights was encouraging.
The Detroit Red Wings were unable to protect a two-goal lead on Wednesday evening against the Vegas Golden Knights, dropping a 4-3 overtime decision after having entered the third period with a 3-1 lead.
Tomas Hertl's power-play goal gave Vegas the victory, and it was their first win over a team in a playoff position since Nov. 20.
While Emmitt Finnie scored his second goal in as many games for the Red Wings, who also got first-period goals from Simon Edvinsson and Alex DeBrincat, they sat on their lead and stopped attacking, registering only a single shot on goal through the first 12 minutes of the game's final frame while Ivan Barbashev and Mitch Marner eventually knotted the score at 3-3.
Detroit had a prime opportunity on the power-play with just over two minutes left in regulation, during which there was a concerning scene involving team captain Dylan Larkin.
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Larkin took a cross-check from behind in front of the net from Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb and collapsed to the ice. Not only was there no penalty called on the play, but Larkin appeared to be injured and very slowly made his way off the ice while hunched over.
While he was eventually able to come back during the subsequent overtime, Vegas eventually secured the extra point thanks to Hertl, with Edvinsson in the box for slashing.
Afterward, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan indicated that while Larkin was sore, it was a good sign that he was able to return during the game.
"Dylan is sore, I'm sure, and obviously, not very happy with the outcome," McLellan said. "He'll get looked at by the training staff right now, I'm sure, and we'll get an update. But, he was able to come back and play, which is a good sign."
The scene was reminiscent of a truly frightening incident in December 2023, when Larkin was cross-checked from behind by Ottawa Senators forward Mathieu Joseph, leaving him motionless on the ice for several moments. He missed the next handful of games.
Thankfully, in this case, the Red Wings may have avoided the worst-case scenario.
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