TO CLOSE

The Detroit Red Wings were angry and disappointed after losing their final of the season, 7-1. Filmed April 6, 2019 in Detroit.
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

the Detroit The Red Wings will have a busy start to the week: get together one last time to commemorate the season with a team photo, then cross your fingers and hope for some luck in the draw.

The weekend was a disappointment for the spectators in the locker room as the 2018-1919 season ended with Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabers, in front of supporters of the Little Caesars Arena.

For the organization as a whole, the loss was beneficial as it propelled the Wings to 28th in the final standings, which equates to a 9.5% probability of winning the first overall pick and 28.8 % to win one of the first three choices. The Wings, who do not finish seventh, will know where they will be after Tuesday's draw.

The Wings were officially eliminated from the playoffs on March 12, but they had regrouped and built a series of six consecutive victories. They felt better for themselves that they ended up well.

Detroit Red Wings right winger Anthony Mantha (39) was eliminated by Victor Olofsson (41) of Buffalo Sabers, Sweden, in the second period of a hockey game. the NHL on Saturday, April 6, 2019 in Detroit. (AP Photo / Duane Burleson) (Photo: Duane Burleson, AP)

"I hope we will never be in this situation again," said Dylan Larkin. "You do not want to play meaningless hockey for a month or two, three weeks, as long as we have been mathematically eliminated.

"Tonight you finally saw the accumulation of frustration – there was nothing. It's frustrating to look around the room and see guys who have fought all season and suffered injuries – a guy like Jimmy Howard is being left out tonight. I just think it creates frustration. "

More: The Detroit Red Wings call this year's season "tough", but also see the positives.

Larkin called the game "pond hockey" for lack of quality. It was interesting to note that the Wings seemed to have gained some momentum after Anthony Mantha scored his 25th goal of the season to make it 2-1 late in the first period. The Wings responded by letting the Sabers dance through the Detroit zone in the second period.

We have generally been better off. Howard had changed his groin in the first period but continued to play as his replacement, Kaden Fulcher, had never played in an NHL game. He ended up giving way at the last 24:19 minutes, and the excitement of getting started resonated while he was smiling at an after – the – post interview. match.

For the more experienced, the faces were filthy.

"I do not know if there is even an explanation for this performance," said Mantha. "We were not ready, we did not play at all. No excuses. It's bad to finish like this. We played hockey very well. We did not do anything good tonight.

More: Wings incredulous after Tyler Bertuzzi records a points record

It seems to catch up with the Wings that 10 regulars were injured at the end of the season, which forced the training to a series of college and griffon patches.

"We had guys that play really well," said coach Jeff Blashill. "Before this game, we were 8-2. I just think our guys have run out of gas. We felt like it was going on like that in Pittsburgh. We just ran out of gas. I applaud the group that has formed. We had several guys who are regulars from Grand Rapids and I think they did a hell of a job.

The Wings finish the season 32-40-10, with 74 points. They have their first scorers of 30 goals in a decade to Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou. Mantha and Bertuzzi both scored 20 goals. These four titles are entitled reconstruction. Veterans and other young players will spend the week in closing meetings with a key message: do not let the next season end in the same way.

"The most important thing is that we understand better that we have a whole bunch of people who have to get better," said Blashill. "We have a development plan for every player who comes back. We have to get better. If we take steps in the right direction, we will have the chance to be a better team, maybe a lot better. But if we reach a plateau, no luck, so let's get better. "

Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Learn more about the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter.