#LGRW Final: Greiss shuts out Columbus, but Wings fall in shootout, 1-0

DETROIT -- Thomas Greiss collected 33 saves and tallied his first shutout of the season, but the Detroit Red Wings were unable to find the back of the net, dropping a 1-0 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a shootout at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night.

In tallying their 43rd point of the season, the Red Wings moved to 17-25-9 on the season and maintained a one-point advantage over Columbus (16-25-10; 42 points) in the Central Division standings.

Columbus' Patrik Laine and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the shootout goals to provide the game's only scoring, helping Columbus end a nine-game losing streak. Elvis Merzlikins, the Blue Jackets' goaltender, turned away 41 shots to secure his first shutout of the season.
Columbus controlled much of the play in the opening period, tallying 10 scoring chances and building a 16-13 lead on shots. Bjorkstrand found the back of the net less than 90 seconds into the game (18:37), but his would-be goal was disallowed after an official video review and ensuing offsides call.
Greiss and Merzlikins both staved off several scoring chances in the second and third periods to keep the game scoreless. Detroit owned a 35-32 advantage on shots heading into the 3-on-3 overtime session, including a 14-7 edge in the second period. It marked the Red Wings' first game ending in a 0-0 draw after regulation since Jan. 22, 2017.

Detroit was the aggressor in the extra session, outshooting the Blue Jackets, 6-1, and tallying several quality scoring chances. Jakub Vrana was turned away on his second breakaway of the game, Michael Rasmussen fired a shot that was stopped by Merzlikins following an opportunistic rebound and Filip Zadina came up short on an attacking rush with less than five seconds remaining.
The Red Wings were outscored, 2-0, in the shootout, sealing Columbus' eventual 1-0 win. Laine set the tone with a five-hole finish past Greiss, followed by Merzlikins' denials on Vrana and Adam Erne's attempted shots. Bjorkstrand ended the game with a shot that got past Greiss on his stick side.

Joe Veleno, one of the Red Wings' first-round draft picks in 2018, made his NHL debut on Tuesday, playing nearly 15 minutes (14:59) and recording a pair of shots.
The Red Wings will wrap up the month of April by traveling to Raleigh, N.C., to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Puck drop from PNC Arena is set for 7 p.m. on Bally Sports Detroit Plus and the Red Wings Radio Network.