“It hurts to not get anything out of this game,” McLellan admitted, via NHL.com. “Especially on a penalty 150 feet from our net and away from the play.” McLellan’s comment was a clear shot at Kane‘s stick infraction that handed the Wild a late power play opportunity.

Being booed off the ice at the sound of the second-period horn certainly served as a wake-up call for the Red Wings. In the third period, they found their footing and tied the game at 4–4 after trailing 4–1. However, there was still time left for the Red Wings to trip over the same stone once again.

Kane had scored the equalizer, yet he followed it up by committing a nonsensical tripping penalty on a possession-less Quinn Hughes. Minnesota went on the man advantage, Kirill Kaprizov cashed in with 1:51 left in the game—and that was all she wrote for Detroit.

Playoff implications for Detroit

A win would’ve put the Red Wings in a playoff spot with five games left in the 2025–26 NHL season. Instead, they remain in the jam-packed fight for a wild-card spot. A divisional ticket is no longer available, as the loss to the Wild meant the Montreal Canadiens punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The only way into the postseason for Detroit is now through the wild card. However, there are six teams fighting for those two spots, so the Wings’ odds decrease tremendously.

Red Wings’ playoff drought

With the Buffalo Sabres clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2011, and snapping their 14-season playoff drought, the Red Wings could now carry the burden of the longest active playoff drought. For a franchise that once prided itself on making the postseason 25 years in a row, these are unforeseen levels of misery in Motor City. Detroit’s last playoff appearance was in 2016, and its last playoff series win came in 2013.

The Red Wings can still turn things around, but the loss against the Wild had the feel of a playoff-elimination defeat, even if it was in a regular-season outing. Needless to say, McLellan, Kane, and company can’t afford to point fingers around the locker room. Instead, they must figure out a way to make the postseason and avoid yet another heartbreaking end to the season.

It’s been a common theme all season long for the Rangers in the NHL. Good times don’t last long for Miller and the Broadway Blueshirts, and the fanbase in New York City can’t take any more letdowns. Following the 2-1 defeat against Original Six rivals, the Red Wings, the captain didn’t mince words on his postgame admission.

“Today wasn’t good enough,” J.T. Miller bluntly admitted after the loss, via NHL.com. “They outplayed us. If wasn’t for [Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick] that game could have been wide open.”

Rangers struggle at MSG again

For the seventh time in nine home outings, the Rangers scored one goal or fewer. Their shortcomings in Manhattan are becoming impossible to ignore. With each new disappointing night in NYC, the pattern looks less like a slump and more like a harsh reality. Something is wrong with the Rangers, who have now been outscored 27–13 by visiting teams at Madison Square Garden, carrying the weight of a 1–7–1 home record.

Contrary to almost every other team, the Blueshirts would be much better off spending their season on the road, where they are 9-1-1. Without Sullivan, who took a personal leave, the Rangers performed just like they have accustomed fans to do on home ice, and the Red Wings took advantage to improve to 11-7-1 in the 2025-26 NHL season.

Home bitter home

Fortunately for Miller and the Rangers, their schedule now gives them a chance to escape The Big Apple. Beginning a three-game road trip out West—with visits to three contenders in the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Utah Mammoth—New York has an opportunity to reset and get back in the win column before returning to the city that never sleeps, where nightmarish outings continue to haunt them in the world’s most famous arena.

The Columbus Blue Jackets know the clock is ticking for them in the NHL. Though the franchise in Ohio has managed to settle the drama with forward Yegor Chinakhov, he still wants out of the Discovery City. The Blue Jackets are knocking on doors, but it seems no one is answering to their calls. Perhaps, they are looking desperate, and no team wants to hand them a lifesaver.

The Red Wings and Panthers may fit right into that category. According to reports, neither franchise plans to surround Kane or Marchand—respectively—with the 24-year-old Russian, at least not at the current price set by Columbus.

If the price drops, or if Detroit and Florida find themselves under more pressure, their answer might change. For now, they’re staying put. At the end of the day, the Blue Jackets are sitting on borrowed time, so there’s no reason for the Wings or Cats to take the weight off Columbus’s shoulders.

“Several teams have recently kicked the tires on Yegor Chinakhov, 24, who still wants out of Columbus, including the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings,” insider Pierre LeBrun reported on The Athletic.

New phone, who this?

Chinakhov raised alarms in Columbus during the summer as his agent Shumi Babaev went public with his client’s trade request. Since, Chinakhov has switched agents, as he is now represented by Rick Komarow.

Still, it might be old wine in new bottles. With Komarow in charge, Chinakhov’s intentions remain the same. He still wants out of Columbus, and The Athletic reports the Blue Jackets have given his new agent permission to talk business with the rest of the NHL. So far, however, it’s been to no avail.

Give it time

It’s still very early in the NHL season. Many organizations are keeping their cards close to the chest, but give it time and true intentions will come to light. For now, Columbus must play the waiting game. Still, much can change as the season progresses. Teams like the Panthers and Red Wings could find themselves under pressure later on and might have second thoughts about shutting the door on Chinakhov.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets forward may continue his upward trend—he scored his first two goals of the season in back-to-back games on Oct. 25 and 28. Additionally, Chinakhov recorded his first multi-point performance in over a year, with fans having to go back to Oct. 13, 2024, for his last two-point night in the NHL. Who knows? Maybe similar performances could change Chinakhov’s mind about playing for Dean Evason and calling The Arch City home.

It’s playoffs or bust for Kane and company. They wouldn’t have it any other way, though. Detroit is desperate for success, but it must first actually make it to the postseason dance.

In Chicago, the demands aren’t as stark, but progress is much-needed for fans to stay hopeful. The pressure is mostly on Bedard, who can feel the weight lay on his shoulders. After struggling during his sophomore year, the former first overall pick is eyeing redemption, bouncing back in commanding fashion.

Kane can relate to some of the feelings Bedard has gone through in his young NHL career. The American ‘Heartbreak Kid’ has recently broken his silence on his thoughts about Bedard, the heir to Kane’s legacy in Chi-town.

“[Bedard’s] still a young kid, but he’s got some experience in the league now. He’s probably understanding a little bit more of what to expect on a nightly basis,” Patrick Kane stated, per CHSN’s Blackhawks Breakaway. “There was definitely some phases when I was younger where you feel you hit a little bit of a wall. It might be five, six, seven games, but you don’t want to have that slump during the season.“

No worries

While fans in Chicago are anxious about extending Bedard’s contract before the end of the 2025-26 season, Kane believes they have nothing to be concerned about.

“I think he’s got a really bright future,” Kane added. “If I was a Blackhawks’ fan or someone in the organization, that’d probably be the last of my worries. He’s a great player, but he also cares a lot, too. He wants to be there, so that’s half the battle.”

Bedard has made his wish to stay in town public repeatedly, and the Blackhawks won’t let him go, so there’s really no reason to lose any sleep over the situation. Regardless, as long as Bedard plays on a contract year, the speculation around the building will only grow.

Projected lines

The Blackhawks are determined to flip the script during the 2025-26 campaign. Chicago will start the season with a crucial test against the Florida Panthers on the road. After the Cats raise their Stanley Cup banner, the puck will drop, the NHL season will officially get underway, and the Blackhawks might look very different. According to Chicago Sun-Times, Blashill might roll out the following lines:

Forwards

• Andre Burakovsky — Connor Bedard — Ryan Donato
• Teuvo Teravainen — Frank Nazar — Tyler Bertuzzi
• Colton Dach — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
• Nick Foligno — Ryan Greene — Landon Slaggert

Defensemen

• Alex Vlasic — Sam Rinzel
• Ethan Del Mastro — Connor Murphy
• Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov

Goalies

• Spencer Knight
• Arvid Soderblom

The Swedish winger knows he didn’t post the strongest numbers last year, but despite that, he feels much more confident since McLellan’s arrival to the team — a coach who managed to give him more consistency and playing time throughout the competition.

In a recent conversation with the media, Berggren spoke about what lies ahead, subtly signaling to both his coach and teammates that he hopes to elevate his game from Day 1 in order to further strengthen the team.

“Last year was a good year for me,” he said via NHL.com “I feel like I got more opportunity after Todd [McLellan] became head coach, and I think I played better. This one-year deal is a prove-it-deal for me. I want to show what I can do.

“It felt like I was part of the team,” he also added. “It’s hard when you’re going up and down between the AHL and NHL, so I got that confidence being there for a full year and I’m going to build off that.”

The excitement of working with McLellan

The arrival of Todd McLellan as the new head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, following the departure of Derek Lalonde at the end of last year, brought with it a sense of renewal that was quickly felt throughout the franchise’s facilities.

As preparations intensify for their first exhibition game against the Chicago Blackhawks on September 23, Berggren revealed his excitement about being able to prepare for a new season from the start, with his coach leading the way.

“I feel like we played really good hockey when Todd came in,” he said. “Now that we’re going to start with him, it’s going to be good to have a full camp with the new systems rather than how we had to learn during the middle of the season. That’s going to be huge.”

The contest was fiercely competitive, with both teams trading goals throughout. The Red Wings held the lead multiple times, but the Sharks showed resilience, tying the game and ultimately clinching the win.

“I thought we deserved to win the hockey game,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said via NHL.com. “For the majority of the game, we pushed the pace and controlled parts of the third period we’ve been working on all year. That was our identity.”

Celebrini, reflecting on his decisive goal, shared: “It’s fun to win one in overtime. We’ve been on the wrong side of it a couple of times, so it was nice to get that one. It was a great play by Granlund—he set a pick, and I found myself with a lot of space. I just tried to go low glove; I felt like he was cheating a little bit.”

High-Level Performance from Both Teams

Both the Sharks and Red Wings delivered high-caliber hockey. Mackenzie Blackwood for San Jose and Cam Talbot for Detroit showcased stellar goaltending, but neither could completely stave off the opposing offenses.

Key contributions from William Eklund and Alex Wennberg proved vital for the Sharks, as both players added goals and assists to power the team to victory.

Red Wings fall short despite effort

On the Red Wings’ side, Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat led the charge but couldn’t overcome the Sharks’ momentum in crucial moments. Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde praised Talbot’s efforts despite the loss. “He’s been a rock all year. I think he definitely wants that second one back, but he was a big part of us getting this point,” Lalonde said.

Sharks look to build momentum

This victory is a significant step for the Sharks as they aim to climb the standings. With emerging talents like Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund shining, the future looks bright for San Jose in the NHL.