Red Wings' playoff pursuit takes a hit with a 4-1 loss to the already-eliminated Rangers

NEW YORK (AP) — Failing to score until there were 32 seconds left and allowing a hat trick to Gabriel Perreault, the Detroit Red Wings lost an important game in their pursuit of a playoff spot, 4-1 at the New York Rangers on Saturday.

With six games left, the Red Wings remain on the outside looking in as part of a competitive Eastern Conference race down the stretch. They are among a handful of teams fighting for the East's second and final wild-card spot.

Detroit's loss clinched a berth for the Buffalo Sabres, who ended the NHL's longest postseason drought at 14 seasons. Though his teammates came up empty on scoring, goaltender John Gibson made some big saves among his 17, playing well in his 14th consecutive start.

Gibson allowed a deflection goal to Jaroslav Chmelar 13 minutes in, then one each to Perreault in the second and third periods. The first came from close range after a perfect pass from Mika Zibanejad and the second off the rush.

Perreault finished off his first career hat trick with an empty-netter with 1:44 left.

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin appeared to get banged up from a series of collisions and was in obvious pain on the bench in the second. Larkin returned and gutted through it, unsurprising given what's at stake.

The Rangers played spoiler with Jonathan Quick stopping 31 of 32 shots in his return from injury. Playing for the first time since March 18, the 40-year-old in the twilight of his career stopped Emmitt Finnie the shift after Chmelar scored, slid over to make a pad save on David Perron late in the first and got lucky when J.T. Compher's shot rang off the post and out with 13 minutes remaining.

Fans chanted “Quickie! Quickie!” in the final minutes of what could be Quick's final NHL game.

Red Wings: Host the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

Rangers: Igor Shesterkin figures to get the nod at home against the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

New York Rangers left wing Will Cuylle (50) fights with Detroit Red Wings center Andrew Copp (18), and Rangers center Noah Laba (42) fights with Red Wings left wing James van Riemsdyk (21) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Detroit Red Wings center Andrew Copp (18) fights for control of the puck with New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider (53) fights with New York Rangers center J.T. Miller (8) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) stops the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against Detroit Red Wings, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) covers the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against New York Rangers, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

PHOENIX (AP) — Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Chamique Holdsclaw and the 1996 U.S. Olympic women's basketball team will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.

Parker, Holdsclaw and members of the 1996 Olympic team were all in attendance Friday at halftime of the UConn-South Carolina game during the women's Final Four, where the selections were announced, as was Amar’e Stoudemire and Mike D’Antoni.

They will be joined by longtime NBA official Joey Crawford, NBA coach Doc Rivers and Gonzaga coach Mark Few in the Hall of Fame.

Parker won three titles in the WNBA with three different teams: Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas. She is the only player in league history to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

She also won two titles while playing in college for Tennessee under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, plus two Olympic gold medals and two WNBA MVP awards.

Delle Donne won two league MVP awards in 2015 and 2019, the second of which came when she led the Washington Mystics to their lone WNBA championship. Delle Donne became the first player in league history to shoot more than 50% from the field, 40% from behind the 3-point line and 90% from the free-throw line.

Holdsclaw won three straight titles at Tennessee from 1996-98, the first team to accomplish that. The 1998 championship was Tennessee’s first undefeated season at 39–0 and the Vols also set an NCAA record for the most wins in a season. Holdsclaw went on to have an 11-year WNBA career.

Stoudemire, who was the only NBA player in this year's class, was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003 and six-time All-Star. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Phoenix Suns, where he teamed with D'Antoni.

Rivers has 1,192 victories on his resume, which puts him sixth on the all-time wins list. He led the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008 and also was in charge of the Los Angeles Clippers during their Lob City era.

Few has won more than 770 games at Gonzaga in his career at the school. He set the NCAA Division I men's coaching record by winning 81 games in his first three years at the school.

Crawford officiated 2,561 regular-season NBA games and 50 Finals games over his 39-year career. He retired in 2016.

The enshrinement ceremony will take place in August at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

This version corrects Rivers’ placement on career wins list from eighth to sixth.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports

FILE - Washington Mystics' Elena Delle Donne smiles after scoring during a WNBA basketball game against the Chicago Sky Thursday, June 22, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

FILE - United States' women's basketball team members, fromleft, from left are: Jennifer Azzi, Lisa Leslie, Carla McGhee, Katy Steding and Sheryl Swoopes, wear their gold medals during medal ceremonies in basketball at the Centennial Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta Sunday, August 4, 1996. (AP Photo/Susan Ragan, File)

FILE - Los Angeles Sparks' Chamique Holdsclaw, left, drives to the basket past Seattle Storm's Francesca Zara of Italy, during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Seattle Sunday, July 31, 2005. (AP Photo/John Froschauer, File)

FILE - Former Las Vegas Aces forward Candace Parker reacts during the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Seattle Storm, May 20, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE - Tennessee's Candace Parker (3) passes around North Carolina's La'Tangela Atkinson in the first half of the NCAA college basketball tournament regional final, Tuesday, March 28, 2006, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)