It’s been a common topic in Motor City: the Detroit Red Wings are hyped going into the season, but awfully underperform when it’s go time. The 2024-25 NHL season looked as a repeat of this eternal loop that haunts fans in Michigan. However, Detroit has put together some strong outings in a row and are looking to get back in the mix for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As the Wings ride their wave of momentum, star Patrick Kane sent a warning to the rest of the league.
The Red Wings have been bottom-feeders for way too long in the NHL, it’s time for them to make a statement. After several seasons in the league’s basement, Detroit put together a good core of young, talented players, yet it’s still mising the final punch to make the postseason.
Fans in Mo-Town haven’t watched Stanley Cup Playoff hockey since the 2015-16 season. Detroit has missed the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, and has made the postseason party just once in the past ten years. An Original Six franchise, one of the most decorated franchises in the sport has become the laughing stock of the league. But that may be over this season.
Though the Wings still sit near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, they are just four points away from the last wildcard berth, in what’s turning out to be an all-out war in the Eastern Conference. Patrick Kane has plenty of experience around winning teams and knows what it takes to hoist Lord Stanley.
Patrick Kane #88 of the Detroit Red Wings plays against the New York Rangers at Little Caesars Arena on October 17, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan.
Detroit could be a darkhorse if they sneak into the Playoffs, and Kane has warned the league about his team’s confidence at the moment.
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“I think we’re all getting more confident by the day,” Patrick Kane stated, via NHL.com. “These are exciting times, exciting changes to our game to help us play a little bit more aggressive and be on our toes, and I think everyone wants to play like that.”
Flipped the script
After a 10-10-2 start to the season, the Wings fell into a slump, losing ten of thirteen games, including a five-game losing streak and another four-game skid. While many believed the season in Detroit was headed for the gutters, the team dug in and bounced back. Since then, Detroit has won four in a row and is back in the race for the playoffs..
There’s a long road ahead—teams can rise or fall with ease—and Detroit knows it cannot afford to relax as the East has become a battlefield in the race for the playoffs.
Kane’s season by the numbers
Patrick ‘Showtime’ Kane is no longer that electric player that used to take over games in Chicago. But he is still an instrumental piece to the Red Wings’ success. Through 34 games in the season, Kane tallies 21 points (8 goals and 13 assists). Kane missed five games due to injury, after sustaing an upper-body injury in November.
Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal past Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek (34) in overtime at the United Center Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Chicago.
Showtime is currently on a four-game point streak, tallying 7 points over his last four outings. There’s a strong correlation between Kane’s points and Detroit’s wins: whenever Kane registers a point, the Wings tend to win, while in most losses, Kane is kept off the scoresheet.
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Kane appeared in 19 of Detroit’s losses, and only registered a point in three of those games. Whereas, on the contrary, Kane registers points in eleven of Detroit’s fifteen wins with him on the ice.
