MONTREAL — The Red Wings have been talking much recently about stringing some victories together.
To get into the playoffs, to stay within distance of the playoffs, they're going to have to pile victories together post-All-Star break. No better way to begin a streak like that this week, on the Fathers' Trip, and go into a lengthy break on a positive note.
They made a positive step Thursday defeating Montreal, 4-3 in overtime.
Robby Fabbri scored at 2 minutes, 36 seconds of overtime, converting an odd-man rush feed from Michael Rasmussen.
Goaltender Ville Husso preserved the victory, with several huge saves, including stopping Rem Pitlick on a breakaway in overtime, and Mike Matheson off a rush with 0.01 seconds left in regulation time.
Rasmussen, Jonatan Berggren (power play) and Oskar Sundqvist had the Wings' goals, as the Wings won their third game in five (3-1-1).
Rafael Harvey-Pinard had two Montreal goals (one short-handed) and Michael Pezzetta added another, as the Canadiens' fourth line did substantial offensive damage.
Harvey-Pinard has been a revelation for Montreal, in only his fifth NHL game. He scored his second and third goals, both times erasing Wings' leads in the second period.
Three times the Wings had one-goal leads, and three times Montreal came back to tie.
The short-handed goal tied the game 2-2, at 6:57, shortly after Berggren scored his eighth goal putting in a loose puck on the power play at 3:56.
Sundqvist regained the lead 3-2 for the Wings, deflecting a Dominik Kubalik shot for Sundqvist's seventh goal, at 13:30.
But Harvey-Pinard again proved to be a thorn, getting behind the Wings' defense and backhanding a shot past goaltender Ville Husso.
Coach Derek Lalonde talked earlier in the week about the Wings' need to put together a win streak.
Victories over Toronto and Vegas the past few weeks, two of the best teams in the NHL, were countered with losses to Columbus and Arizona, two of the bottom-feeders in the standings.
With the trade deadline five weeks away, the Wings want to solidify their position in the standings and avoid another sell-off.
"We've talked about stringing games together and we're sitting here on a 2-1-1 stretch (heading into Thursday), which is good," Lalonde said. "But we're flirting with staying in this thing. You want to keep going and we need to string some wins together."
Players from last season's roster have consistently said this year's lineup has more experience and there's a different confidence, comparatively.
"It's a completely different group and different mindset than last year," Rasmussen said. "I have no clue where we were last year or how we were playing or whatever. We're just collectively as a group trying to make a push here and playing as good a hockey as we can. Just win hockey games, and hang in there."
Rasmussen opened the Wings' scoring with his ninth goal, just 3:54 into the game.
Rasmussen carried the puck into the slot, then picked a corner on goaltender Jake Allen.
"He's been awesome this year," said Lalonde after Rasmussen starred in Tuesday's victory over San Jose. "I want to be careful because we're still raw in his development. (Playing on) the wing frees up what he is, he hunts pucks, wins battles, simplifies his game.
"You know a winger is good when every center starts to come hinting that they would like to play with him. That's certainly a good sign when we get those conversations."
