The Detroit Red Wings’ chances of making the 2026 NHL playoffs currently lie on life support. Their latest 5-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday has pretty much stuck a fork in their season.
Despite the valiant effort in coming back from a 4-1 third-period deficit against Minnesota, a costly penalty late in the game essentially doomed the Red Wings’ hopes of ending what is now the NHL’s longest playoff drought.
Now, it’s not all gloom and doom.
The Wings are two points behind the Ottawa Senators, who hold the second wild card spot. They have a game in hand. So, there’s hope.
Unfortunately, the people at MoneyPuck don’t really seem to agree. According to the current playoff odds, the Red Wings have a 15% chance of making it to the dance. That’s more than double the chances the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals have.
But it seems that the Red Wings’ most recent play just isn’t convincing enough.
If the scoreboard is any indication, 15% might be a little too high.
Entering last weekend, the Red Wings had a golden opportunity to wrap up their playoff spot. All they had to do was win. That was it.
Instead, the Red Wings coughed up a major hairball on Saturday in their 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers, yes, the Rangers of all teams.
Then Sunday’s loss drove a dagger through the hearts of the team. While the season is not technically over, it might as well be. The morale in Detroit is in the dumps and might require a miracle to turn around.
Red Wings Have to Win the Rest of the Way
Truth be told, 15% is better than nothing. But if the Red Wings really want to get into the postseason, they’ll have to win all of their five remaining games.
Their next matchup comes against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wings are tied with the Blue Jackets at 88 points. However, the Wings are ahead of Columbus as they have two more regulation wins.
As such, the Red Wings have to win on Tuesday night against Columbus. A win gives the Red Wings 90 points. Considering the Blue Jackets are reeling, it’s a fantastic opportunity to take over and grab a hold of the final wild card spot.
The rest of the way, notwithstanding, won’t be quite so easy.
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Detroit Will Face Several Tough Opponents
The Red Wings’ remaining opponents include the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers.
The Flyers and Lightning will hardly be easy opponents. Meanwhile, the Devils and Panthers, as banged up as they are, could still throw a monkey wrench in the works.
But that’s the road ahead. If the Red Wings win out the rest of the way, a playoff spot could be on the horizon. Otherwise, the alternative will be a summer of second-guessing. The organization will have to get back to basics and figure out what could change to finally get the club over the hump.
The Wings can avoid a major existential crisis by winning and making it to the 2026 NHL playoffs.
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