Red Wings Steal Point in Final Second

In the midst of a tough Western Conference playoff race, the Detroit Red Wings need all the points they can muster.

Friday night, while locked in a tight game with the league's worst team, the Wings found a way to practically steal a very important point.

The Calgary Flames had already won -- despite nearly blowing a huge lead. Meanwhile, Detroit was struggling, trailing 2-1 at Edmonton in the final minute.

What happened could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs.

With seven seconds to go, Edmonton's Theo Peckham tried to freeze the puck in the corner. He tried to hold it too long, as when the Red Wings got it loose, there was just enough time to throw the puck to the front of the net.

Inexplicably, defenseman Brian Rafalski was wide open.

These are the kinds of things that happen to a team that is dead-last in the NHL with virtually no hope of finishing anywhere higher than 30th.

The attempt to blow the goal horn was an obvious diversion, because there was never really any question that Rafalski beat the clock.

Edmonton won the game in a shootout, giving goalie Devan Dubnyk his first NHL victory. However, that point Detroit got allows them to hold on to eighth in the West. In a race that could very well come down to one point, this was a great one for the Red Wings to get.