It’s so easy to take the cold, calculated long view from the outside. When John Tavares scored in overtime on Saturday night, it was probably a good thing for the Red Wings. If they win the lottery later this month, that might be the goal that gave them the correct Ping-Pong ball. If nothing else, it gave them better odds than Vancouver, even if it’s just a small percentage.



To those in the middle of it, it’s not quite as easy to see it that way. After the game, Dylan Larkin sat by himself at his dressing room stall while media gathered around captain Henrik Zetterberg to his right. He leaned forward, staring straight ahead and let the reality of the moment hit him. His third NHL season was over. It can be a grueling process, the NHL regular season, but in these moments it can also seem like it goes by in a blink.



“I don’t think it’s really set in,” Larkin told The Athletic. “We have a lot of time here to reflect and the...