With under two minutes left, the Red Wings trailed the Kings by one and pulled their goalie for the extra skater. Detroit captain Dylan Larkin dumped the puck in to keep the play alive, and what followed was a chaotic sequence of blocked passes, desperate clear attempts, and relentless effort. Filip Hronek made a key sliding block to stop a potential Kings empty-net goal, and the Red Wings kept grinding to set up one final play. Eventually, they cycled the puck to the top, made two quick passes, and buried the tying goal. Players erupted. Larkin got pats on the back after throwing his body around to keep the chance alive.
In overtime, though, all that effort unraveled. The Kings got an odd-man rush after a failed Red Wings pass. As they drove wide and centered the puck, it deflected off Hronek’s leg and slipped past the Detroit goalie. A tough break for a defenseman who earlier had saved the game. The goal ended it, a brutal way to lose after forcing overtime with so much hustle. The Red Wings made it matter for a moment, but in the end, that moment didn’t last.