DETROIT _ Nicklas Lidstrom dropped a ceremonial puck. Tomas Holmstrom dropped by the press box.
The last Original Six Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena made for a festive, family affair as alumni arrived in town to be a part of the Joe's farewell weekend.
Mike Green's turnover led to Montreal's Alex Galchenyuk scoring in overtime to hand the Detroit Red Wings a 3-2 loss on a night that saw octopi hit the ice from anthem to final buzzer.
The Wings close out their season Sunday against the New Jersey Devils, a finale that will also see Henrik Zetterberg reach his 1000th career game.
Where the Wings' captain will earn a milestone reflecting dedication and perseverance, a newcomer earned a memory to cherish against the Habs when Matt Lorito picked up an assist on Dylan Larkin's 17th goal of the season. Frans Nielsen also scored his 17th goal of the season and Petr Mrazek had made 19 saves as the game was tied 2-2 going into the third period.
The Wings created good pressure on the Canadiens as Gustav Nyquist tried a backhand shot to break the tie, but Charlie Lindgren made the save. Lorito sent a shot wide. Mrazek followed up by denying Jeff Petry on a slap shot.
Riley Sheahan, still searching for his first goal of the season, had a chance late in the third period but missed the net by a foot. Shots at the end of regulation were 26-26.
Having locked up first place in the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens opted to sit Carey Price, Alexander Radulov and Max Pacioretty among others. On the Wings' side, Lorito made his NHL debut as Andreas Athanasiou sat out with a rib injury. Lorito had one of the first shots of the game, when he directed a wrist shot from the slot at Lindgren.
Mrazek had to be sharp with the Habs funneling pucks at him. The Wings took a lead midway though the first period, when Darren Helm pounced on an attempted clearing pass and fed Nielsen for a backhand. The Wings sustained a steady attack after that, and ended up with a 13-10 edge in shots.
Nathan Beaulieu scored during a power play early in the second period, and the Habs grabbed momentum for the next several shifts. Mrazek came through with one of his better recent outings, looking confident in his crease and denying Brendan Gallagher on a net-front attempt as the Habs neared 20 shots around the game's midpoint.
Larkin scored on a slap shot at 12:51, taking a pass from Tomas Tatar and ripping the puck from the right circle. The lead didn't last the period, however, as Artturi Lehkonen connected on Nikita Nesterov's rebound off a slap shot with 90 seconds left to force a tie.
