Detroit, MI
Detroit Red Wings badly outplayed in 6-3 loss to Penguins, but hold playoff position
The Detroit Red Wings didn’t help their playoff hopes, but neither did their closest rivals.
One day after ending a seven-game losing streak, the Wings were back on the short end of a final score, losing 6-3 on Sunday to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. But the Wings (34-28-6) stayed in the second wild-card berth by virtue of one point.
By the time their game began, the New York Islanders already had lost their Sunday matinee, keeping them below the Wings in the standings, at 73 points. (The Washington Capitals are also at 73 points). Other than Alex Lyon starting in net, it was the same lineup that toppled the Buffalo Sabres Saturday in Detroit. The Penguins outshot the Wings, 40-27, taking advantage as the Wings reverted back to the shoddy team defense that has hampered their efforts throughout March.
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Lucas Raymond scored twice, the second on a power play setup by Patrick Kane with 3:23 to play. The Wings had Lyon pulled for much of the remaining time, and Drew O’Connor scored into an empty net with 26 seconds to play.
The Penguins, hanging on in the chase but unlikely to make the playoffs, made things difficult. They drew two penalties in the first 10 minutes and scored a second after the second power play expired when Reilly Smith redirected Marcus Petterson’s shot at 10:10.
That deficit was leveled by Raymond, who netted his fourth goal in four games when he fired a wrist shot from the dots at 15:39 that slipped by former Wings goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic, who had lost his stick. At the time, shots favored Pittsburgh, 12-2. Sidney Crosby corralled a bouncing puck and scored on a backhand at 18:53, and Valtteri Puustinen scored with 43.2 seconds left in the first period to leave the Wings in a 3-1 hole.
Michael Bunting pushed it to 4-1 midway through the second, scoring another net-front goal. The Wings looked like they might make a game of it when Christian Fischer finished a perfect set-up by Michael Rasmussen from behind the net, but Lars Eller tipped Crosby’s shot during a power play with 20.7 seconds to go in the second period to put the Wings back down by three goals.
The Wings have 14 games left, six of them at home, and next play Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
Detroit, MI
Detroit-area teen charged in carjacking at Applebee’s restaurant bound over to circuit court
A 15-year-old boy who is accused of carjacking a woman last month at an Applebee’s in Roseville, Michigan, is heading to circuit court after waiving his preliminary examination, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
The teen is charged with one count of carjacking, third-degree fleeing a police officer, two counts of malicious destruction of personal property, assault with a dangerous weapon, assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, operating without a license and failure to stop after a collision.
The teen appeared for a probable cause hearing on Dec. 10 and waived his right to a preliminary examination. He will be arraigned on Jan. 5, 2026.
He remains in at the Macomb County Juvenile Center under a $250,000 cash/surety bond. If he posts bond, he is ordered to wear a GPS tether, be restricted to his mother’s house and have no contact with the victim, witnesses or Applebee’s.
Prosecutors allege that on Nov. 24, 2025, the teen forcibly took a woman’s 2016 Jeep Patriot in the restaurant’s parking lot. The teen took off in the vehicle and crashed it on Gratiot Avenue.
“The allegations and charges in this matter are serious. Carjacking is a violent offense that carries life-altering consequences for victims and offenders alike,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said in a statement. “To the young people of Macomb County, understand that the choices you make today will determine the path available to you tomorrow. We want every youth in this community to succeed, but that starts with stepping away from dangerous decisions before they lead to irreversible outcomes.”
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions rule out All-Pro safety, list 7 others as questionable vs. Rams
ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions will be without safety Kerby Joseph again this weekend, while listing seven other players as questionable.
Joseph and fellow safety Brian Branch were the only players ruled out ahead of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. Branch is out for the season due to an Achilles injury, but has not been placed on injured reserve yet. And Joseph, who will now miss his eighth straight game, suffered a setback and could be a candidate for injured reserve, per Dan Campbell.
The Lions listed tight end Shane Zylstra (knee), running back Sione Vaki (thumb), wide receiver Kalif Raymond (ankle), guard Christian Mahogany (fibula), safety Thomas Harper (concussion protocol), left tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder/rest) and guard Kayode Awosika (foot) as questionable.
Decker has not practiced this week. But he’s been dealing with a shoulder injury all season and is coming off playing three games in less than two weeks. Awosika missed last week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys due to his foot injury. The veteran guard has practiced in a limited capacity all week long.
Trystan Colon and Miles Frazier split duties at left guard last week for Awosika. The Lions will have a decision to make there between those three options, but perhaps for only another weekend.
Mahogany returned to practice this week. He seems like a longshot to play this weekend based on his injury. But the Lions are listing him as questionable after logging three limited practices in his first action back on the field.
Zylstra has been back at practice for two weeks in his return from injured reserve. Heading into the weekend, the Lions have only one tight end on their 53-man roster (Anthony Firkser) and hope to get Zylstra back.
Campbell said Harper has a chance to play against the Rams despite spending the week in concussion protocol. The Lions could sure use Harper, with Branch and Joseph both out, to hold things down at safety with Avonte Maddox against the high-powered Rams.
“Harper will be out there at practice today, so feel pretty good about him, but we’ll see,” Campbell said on Friday morning. “There again, I can’t give you definitives right now, but that’s kind of where we’re at.
“So, we’ll be good. Look, (Erick) Hallett’s been taking reps, (Daniel Thomas) DT’s been taking reps, Maddox has been taking reps. We’ve got plenty of guys. They’re getting valuable reps, so we’re good.”
Raymond has missed two consecutive games due to an ankle injury suffered against the New York Giants. He has a shot to return after working back into practice, and should reclaim his role returning punts.
Vaki has continued to play through his thumb injury. He hasn’t returned kickoffs since suffering the injury, with Tom Kennedy and Jacob Saylors taking over.
Detroit, MI
Oilers turn in smart, defensive game and Hyman hat trick for 4-1 win over Detroit: Cult of Hockey Player Grades
CONNOR McDAVID. 9. In a quiet first minutes of this one McDavid had the most dangerous shot for, glancing off Talbot’s shoulder and out. Terrific patience on the doorstep before dishing to Hyman for the 1-0. Nearly outwaited Talbot again later in the frame. Dished the disk back to Ekholm on the 2-0. Pranced in and rifled a backhand off Talbot. Hi-lite reel assist on the 3-1, where he knocks down a puck then puts a backhand through his own legs to a waiting Hyman alone in the slot. An assist on the 4-1, for his forty-third four-point game. 63% on faceoffs. Second Star.
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