Dylan Larkin's return, Detroit Red Wings 'mad' after blowing huge game

The look on Dylan Larkin's face reflected the Detroit Red Wings' situation: Frustration. Anger. Disappointment Here it is late March, and the Wings have done exactly what they virtually vowed they wouldn't when the month began: Slide out of the playoff picture.

Their next challenge comes Friday, March 27, when they head out to take on the Atlantic Division-leading Buffalo Sabres, one of 11 games left for the Wings (38-25-8, 84 points) to avoid their playoff drought reaching a decade. "It's like, what are we gonna do, it's, the room is mad," Larkin said minutes after his team fell, 3-2, to the Ottawa Senators on home ice. "The guys are mad, that was a big game for our hockey team.

And unfortunate, how well we played against those guys all year, and then this one tonight, it just, kind of wipes away our record against those guys, because that was a big game. "But we're going into Buffalo on Friday night, so we have to pick ourselves back up, and that's mental toughness. " TUESDAY'S ACTION: Detroit Red Wings wakeup call too late in loss to Ottawa Senators Mental toughness.

It's what Todd McLellan has tried to instill since he was named coach in December 2024. But 15 months later, in a crucial game against an opponent that came into the night a point behind the Wings and emerged a point ahead, there were some gob-smacking mistakes. Most notably on the third goal, when Marco Kasper had the puck in the neutral zone only to pass it back into his own zone, for a turnover the Senators turned into a 3-0 lead.