The Islanders douse the Red Wings

Clutterbuck's early tip-in keeps the Islanders burning

Four apiece, both beaten

On qualification night the New York Islanders and the Detroit Red Wings never shared the ice. Each played its own game, and whichever scored more went through. Both scored four. Both lost. The Islanders fell 7-4 to the Colorado Avalanche at UBS Arena. The Red Wings fell 5-4 in overtime to the Seattle Kraken at Little Caesars Arena. With the count level, the Gauntlet went goal by goal to see who struck first, and one candle on the East shelf lived or died on that.

Clutterbuck lights it first

Cal Clutterbuck tipped one in at 10:03 of the 1st, set up by Noah Dobson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Detroit had nothing until Joe Veleno's slap shot at 1:07 of the 2nd. That gap decided everything. Kyle Palmieri added a power-play wrister, Simon Holmstrom scored off a Clutterbuck assist, and Anders Lee's unassisted wrister at 4:40 of the 3rd made it 4-4. Colorado still pulled away: Bowen Byram and Nathan MacKinnon scored 0:13 apart late in the 2nd, Mikko Rantanen got the winner, and two empty-netters followed. Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves.

Detroit's surge runs short

The Red Wings trailed 3-1 after two Jaden Schwartz goals and one from Tye Kartye. Then came three power-play goals in the 3rd: Shayne Gostisbehere's slap shot, Dylan Larkin's snap and Alex DeBrincat's snap at 10:26. That made four. A fifth never came. Jared McCann tied it with the Kraken goalie pulled for an extra attacker, and Jordan Eberle won it 4:55 into overtime. Detroit's flame went cold, and 25 still burn.