The Detroit Pink Wings head into the ultimate week of their season with a victory in opposition to a workforce that has struggled greater than they’ve.

Sunday’s outing in opposition to the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Middle in Newark, New Jersey, was a sluggish, grinding affair, however the Wings put it away with a pair of late empty-net objectives to emerge with a 3-0 victory. 

“Each groups are lacking key gamers, so it’s a unique recreation than it could be if each groups have been full power,” coach Jeff Blashill mentioned. “There’s restricted offensive firepower. It’s a must to proceed to verify effectively, and discover your solution to a objective, and we did. General, I believed we did a fairly good job of taking part in the appropriate method.”

Alex Nedeljkovic confronted simply 17 photographs. Oskar Sundqvist scored among the many Wings’ 22 photographs on Andrew Hammond. Tyler Bertuzzi scored into an empty internet with 2:09 to play, placing him at 29 objectives. Michael Rasmussen adopted up with 13 seconds on the clock. 

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The Wings misplaced, 7-2, to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday of their remaining residence recreation of the season, and Nedeljkovic mentioned that also stung Sunday.

“Some issues have been mentioned within the room,” Nedeljkovic mentioned. “We’ve had too lots of these video games the place we ended up getting blown out, and it was a giant recreation for some guys to rebound and proper the ship indirectly, myself included. It’s been like that the previous few months, and we now have to discover a solution to cease that from occurring.

“Each time you placed on that uniform, particularly the Pink Wing wheel, you need to play for pleasure, and you need to play for your self, if nothing else. And perceive there’s lots of historical past behind that jersey, behind that brand. You all the time hear guys speaking about taking part in for an Unique Six workforce and the way completely different it’s, in comparison with different groups, and you could take some pleasure in that. I feel these final two video games, they’re a chance for us to point out that and finish the season with an excellent feeling about your self.”

The Wings (31-39-10) go to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday and are again in New Jersey for his or her season finale Friday.

Sundqvist’s contribution

Sundqvist scored for the fourth time since being acquired from St. Louis on the March 21 commerce deadline. Devils ahead Andreas Johnsson had the puck deep in his personal zone and reasonably than go up the boards, he tried to go in direction of the center. Bertuzzi and Rasmussen utilized stress, and Johnsson misplaced the puck. Sundqvist swept in and swiped the puck on internet, at 15:48 of the primary interval. 

Juolevi reappears

Defenseman Olli Juolevi acquired again into the lineup for the primary time since March 27. (That was the 11-2 loss at Pittsburgh. Juolevi performed 16:47 that day and was the one Wings participant apart from Sam Gagner to emerge with a fair score.) The Wings claimed the 23-year-old off waivers March 6, including a defenseman in anticipation of the commerce deadline, once they moved blueliners Nick Leddy and Troy Stecher. Sunday was solely Juolevi’s sixth recreation in a Wings uniform. He has struggled to impress and is unlikely to be retained. 

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Blueline bolstering

The Wings’ protection initiatives to get a serious enhance subsequent season with the anticipated inclusion of 2021 No. 6 general choose Simon Edvinsson. The 19-year-old signed the usual three-year entry-level contract Sunday. He is coming off a terrific season within the Swedish Hockey League, the place he had 19 factors in 44 video games for Frölunda HC and was a finalist for SHL rookie of the 12 months. (Fellow Wings prospect William Wallinder, drafted No. 32 general in 2020, was named Swedish junior participant of the 12 months earlier this month, forward of Edvinsson). Edvinsson could also be higher off beginning his NHL profession partnered with a veteran, however down the street, the Wings may have a formidable pairing on protection within the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Edvinsson and 6-4, 197-pound Moritz Seider. 

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Observe her on Twitter @helenestjames. Learn extra on the Detroit Pink Wings and join our Pink Wings e-newsletter. Her e book, The Massive 50: The Detroit Pink Wings is offered from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Customized copies accessible through her e-mail.