RECAP: Red Wings earn point but fall to Capitals in overtime, 4-3, amid playoff-like atmosphere 

WASHINGTON -- Under different circumstances, the Detroit Red Wings would chalk up games like Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night as a resilient road effort against a quality Eastern Conference opponent.

But under the current circumstances – an ultra-tight postseason race in the East as the regular season quickly winds down – leaving D.C. with just one point is a stinging feeling for the Red Wings.

“The one (point) is big,” Detroit captain Dylan Larkin said. “They got two. It was not what we wanted, but getting one was huge for us. No moral victories tonight, but we played good. It was a playoff-style game and we stuck in there. I wish we had a better start in the third (period), but they came out and scored two (goals) and we responded. It was back and forth all night.”

Goalie Alex Lyon made 26 saves for the Red Wings (36-29-7; 79 points), who are still seeking their first win on a season-long five-game road trip. Netminder Charlie Lindgren turned aside 30 shots for Washington (36-26-9; 81 points), which moved two points ahead of Detroit for the second wild-card spot.

"You can see why this team is where they’re at," Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde said about the Capitals. "No one is playing better in the league right now than their goaltender and they feed off him."

Shots after a scoreless first period were even at 7-7 for both clubs, but the Capitals lit the lamp first when Nic Dowd took a pass from Nick Jensen and sent a shot from the high slot into the back of the net at 2:09 of the second period to make it 1-0.

Alex DeBrincat got the Red Wings on the board at 4:53 of the second period when he crashed to the net and finished Jeff Petry’s feed from behind the goal line to make it a 1-1 game. J.T. Compher collected the secondary assist on DeBrincat’s 24th goal of the season.

David Perron gave Detroit a 2-1 lead on the power play at 19:17 of the second period, sneaking a rebound past Lindgren after a scramble around the crease for his 14th goal of the season. The assists went to Compher and Larkin.

Washington got off to strong start in the third period, with Connor McMichael jamming one home at the back post just 35 seconds in to tie it at 2-2. Dylan Strome then put the Capitals back ahead 3-2 at 4:49, scoring on the rebound of John Carlson’s shot from the point.

“Not the start to the third period that we wanted, but it’s something you got to learn from,” Compher said. “Big games are a little harder to close out.”

Coming through in the clutch once again for the Red Wings, Patrick Kane tied it 3-3 at 14:40 of the third period with a slap shot from the high slot. DeBrincat collected the lone assist on Kane’s 17th goal of the season.

Strome scored his second goal of the night 1:55 into overtime, capping off a give-and-go with Carlson on the rush to seal the win for the Capitals.

Compher said the Red Wings must take lessons learned from Tuesday's loss and move forward.

“Flip the page and focus on Carolina," Compher said. "One game at a time. Even less than that, one period at a time and be ready for that first period in Carolina. We’ll do what we need to do to tonight and tomorrow to continue to build on what we’ve been doing, and try to get some results.”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will continue their postseason push when they battle the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Thursday night.

QUOTABLE

Lalonde on Tuesday’s game

“We’re doing some quality things. Obviously we got the three goals instead tonight. Our team game is coming around. In reality, six fairly good periods on the road and only one point to show for it. We’re going to need to be even better with the competition we have coming up on the road here.”

Larkin on Detroit’s resiliency

“We would have loved to just bottle it up and had a boring third period, but that’s not the way it went. We had to respond, and we did. It was good to see. Alex was really good. It was a goalie battle tonight. He gave us more than enough to win.”

Larkin on pushing forward through late-season bumps

“We’re playing every other day on this trip. We got to get back at it. It’s no easy task going into Carolina, but we’re trying to catch someone now. We have to keep going. We have to keep clawing and fighting for points. The last three games I feel like we’ve had good efforts.”

Larkin on what his club can take from Tuesday’s game into Carolina

“Just don’t let the moment get too big. I think it’s still a hockey game. Yes, it’s intense and tighter checking but you get your chances. I’m guilty of it as well, squeezing the stick. You just got to bear down and put them in.”

Compher on if the Red Wings carried over their defensive game in Nashville

“I think so. Even before that, I think it’s been building after the tough stretch that we had. The way we’re playing defensively is a good sign. There’s still more. There’s still more we need to clean up. Just a little bit more execution. Even at this point in the season, we’re still building and getting back to where we need to be.”