RECAP: Red Wings can’t find late equalizer in 3-2 loss at Rangers

NEW YORK -- The Detroit Red Wings played well enough to depart Madison Square Garden with two points on Wednesday night but couldn’t hold onto a one-goal lead and fell to the league-leading New York Rangers, 3-2.

“We were in it, had the lead there for a while and were playing our game that we’ve been playing the last handful of games,” Robby Fabbri said. “And we fell asleep there for a couple minutes, and that’s the result.”

Goalie Ville Husso made 38 saves in the loss for Detroit, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 11-7-3 (25 points) on the season. With the win, New York improved its overall record to 16-4-1 (33 points).

“I still think we did some things that took away from our game at times,” Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said. “It cost us. A little frustrating in that, but some positives. Just would have liked us to manage our game a little better.”

In a scoreless first period, Detroit was able to kill off two penalties but couldn’t light the lamp on its lone power-play opportunity in the frame. New York had a 10-6 shot advantage through 20 minutes.

The Rangers opened the scoring at 4:37 of the second period, but the Red Wings answered before the 10-minute mark by scoring two goals in a 23-second span to grab a 2-1 lead.

First tying it up for Detroit on the power play at 8:43, Moritz Seider fired a shot from the point that snuck through traffic and past New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin to make it 1-1. Fabbri and Andrew Copp recorded the assists on Seider’s third goal this season.

With the goal, Seider increased his career NHL points total to 105, tying Steve Chiasson for the second-most points by a Red Wings defenseman before age 23.

After a battle for the puck in the left face-off circle, Copp managed to get a piece of it before Jonatan Berggren scooped it up and found Fabbri in the high slot. Fabbri buried Berggren’s feed at 9:06, securing his second multi-point game this season.

“At the end of the day, wins feel better in here,” Fabbri said. “Scoring helps, and that’s great. But at the end of the day, we got to get wins in here. That’s all anyone cares about.”

The Rangers evened the score, 2-2, at 9:14 of the third period before netting the go-ahead goal at 15:45.

Detroit had its chances late, most notably going on the power play for the final 1:56, including a 6-on-4 in the last 1:15 after pulling Husso for an extra skater, but could not find the equalizer.

“I think we really didn’t gap up well enough,” Moritz Seider said of Detroit’s play in the third. “We gave their elite skill a little bit too much time to enter our zone. We weren’t really good on our odd-mans. They outskated us a little bit annd always had a guy or two more on the attack.”

Shayne Gostisbehere left Wednesday’s game less than three minutes into the final period and did not return after he was hit into the boards. Lalonde said he did not have an immediate update on the 30-year-old defenseman.

“I know the (concussion) spotters pulled him,” Lalonde said about Gostisbehere. “And they were still evaluating him after (the game).”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will conclude their midweek back-to-back on Thursday, hosting the Chicago Blackhawks for Hockey Fights Cancer Night, in partnership with the American Cancer Society and Comerica Bank, at Little Caesars Arena.

QUOTABLE

Fabbri on Wednesday’s loss

“Any loss like that is going to sting. But this is going to be a good turnaround for us. We’re going to show what we have tomorrow night. Although it’s tough, we got to forget about it and move on.”

Seider on coming up short against the Rangers

“Obviously really frustrating right now, especially after that game when the emotions are high, as they should be. We wanted to come out here and show we were a better team than last time, and I think we showed that. But over 60 minutes, they scored more goals than us and that’s obviously really frustrating right now.”

Seider on the benefit of a quick turnaround

“In less than 24 hours, we play another hockey team. In the NHL, we got to get two points. If we want to be a good team, we got to find ways to get the W tomorrow.”

Seider on his new teammate Patrick Kane

“It was definitely a weird moment this morning in the meal room, shaking his hand. I think he will fit in real good in our locker room. Now it’s just about ourselves, to get him comfortable around the guys and don’t put too much pressure on him.”