Dylan Larkin blamed himself after the Red Wings missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again, but the rest of the team is still grieving such a heartbreaking end to the season. Still, who’s to blame matters little to fans in Detroit. They want to see a winning team for once, and McLellan’s side has come up short on that promise. Now, the Red Wings must face the music and stand up for their actions. Even McLellan believes so.

“This is Detroit. This is Hockeytown. I’ve been lucky enough to be on the other side of it when they couldn’t stop cheering for this team, and they’re dying for that. They crave that. That’s what they want,” McLellan stated, via NHL.com.

“And I don’t even know if they want a Stanley Cup championship anymore. They just want a team that’s going to come and give them something to cheer about. [The boos are] what we earned.”

The bar is lower for the Red Wings

McLellan was an assistant coach back in the 2007–08 season when the Red Wings last hoisted a Stanley Cup. At the time, Detroit had made the Stanley Cup Playoffs every year since 1991 and would go on to make them every season until 2016. With 11 Stanley Cups in their trophy case and 25 straight postseason appearances, the Red Wings never saw this coming. They haven’t made the playoffs since and now hold the NHL‘s longest active playoff drought.

Back in the glory days, it was championship or bust for Detroit. Now, the expectation has gone down exponentially. Fans just want to see them make the postseason. Detroit can take it from there, but it must first snap its 10-year drought—the longest in franchise history. Even though the bar is set much lower for these Red Wings compared to other teams throughout the years, they can’t clear it.

The Red Wings must undergo changes

Simply put, Detroit comes up short time and again, and that only leads to more frustration. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the nadir of Red Wings history. Patience is running low in Hockeytown; the boos in the last homestand of the season prove just that, and changes must be made in Motor City. Detroit isn’t exactly known for its fashion sense. In the 313, everything old might not be new again after all.

As McLellan blamed Kane for the costly loss in Detroit, Kane knew he couldn’t turn a blind eye or act as if nothing had happened. Now, the American star has bitten the bullet, admitting his responsibility for the mistake that could put the Red Wings out of contention for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“Maybe the worst I felt personally in my career. A lapse in judgement for sure,” Kane commented on his mistake against the Wild, via Detroit Free Press. “Obviously, didn’t mean to do that or take a penalty at that point in the game. Nonetheless, I take responsibility for what happened there.”

Red Wings must turn it around

Detroit has lost four of its last five games in the 2025–26 NHL season. Up next, the Red Wings will take on the Columbus Blue Jackets—the only team in the Eastern Conference playoff race with worse form than Detroit right now. As the Blue Jackets walk into Little Caesars Arena in the 313, they arrive mired in a six-game losing streak.

Still, the Red Wings can’t take them for granted. It’s not like they have looked much better in recent outings. Detroit has lost four straight at home. Its last victory in Motor City was on March 19 (3–1 vs. the Montreal Canadiens).

Playoff stakes at an all-time high

The Red Wings and Blue Jackets are tied in points (88) with the same number of games played (77), so their upcoming bout in Detroit will have all the ingredients of a playoff matchup. The winner could catch fire at the right time, while the loser may just go ahead and wave goodbye to the postseason.

The Red Wings must do everything in their power to avoid being on the wrong side of that equation. If they miss the playoffs for the 10th straight NHL season, fans in Michigan won’t take it lightly, and big changes may be on the horizon within the organization. In more ways than one, April 7’s game against Columbus has the feel of a win-or-go-home showdown.

Detroit’s last 5 games of 2025-26 NHL season

“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.

“We’ll write our own story,” McLellan said, according to NHL.com. “There’s teams that are elevating right now and there’s teams that aren’t, and right now, we’re one of them that aren’t.” The coach acknowledged that the team’s drive and consistency have been lacking, leaving the Red Wings short in critical moments.

The Penguins, boosted by a goal and an assist from Egor Chinakhov, remain strong in the Metropolitan Division, winning three of their last four games. Detroit, meanwhile, has lost four of five, falling behind in the playoff race with just a handful of games remaining.

Red Wings’ struggles highlighted by early goals

Pittsburgh opened the scoring quickly, with Rickard Rakell netting his 20th goal of the season on the Penguins’ first shot. Anthony Mantha followed with his 30th goal of the year, and Chinakhov added a third before the end of the first period. Detroit’s John Gibson was pulled for the second straight game after allowing three goals on 14 shots, with Cam Talbot finishing in relief.

Detroit’s competitive lapses are part of a broader trend this season, with the team missing the playoffs for nine straight years. McLellan noted, “Some of it’s technique and skill too. But the will and the drive is something we could use a little bit more of right now.”

Silver linings amid defeat

Despite the loss, Dylan Larkin scored his 30th goal of the season, continuing a streak of five consecutive 30-goal seasons. Meanwhile, the Penguins adjusted without injured Bryan Rust, and Evgeni Malkin returned with an assist and five shots on goal.

With the Red Wings’ playoff hopes hanging by a thread, McLellan and his team must elevate both effort and execution if they hope to challenge the Eastern Conference wild-card spots in the final games of the season.

“We’re not getting tricked by the three goals at the end of the night,” McLellan admitted after the game, via NHL.com. “This was a disappointing response.”

The 5–3 score may tell one story, but the game’s flow tells a whole different one. Detroit was held scoreless and down 4–0 until there were fewer than seven minutes left in the game. A late surge put the Red Wings back in it, but it wasn’t enough, and they are now losing ground in a playoff race that is not for the faint of heart.

Concerning stretch for Red Wings

The Red Wings are coming up short in the biggest moment of the 2025-26 NHL season. With less than 10 games left on the schedule, Detroit is currently out of the playoff picture. Missing the postseason for a 10th straight year could put many important names in Motor City on the hot seat, and lead to big changes in the offseason.

The Red Wings are engaged in a dogfight for a playoff spot out of the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the Red Wings aren’t in a hot streak like the rest of their competitors. Out of every team in the mix, Detroit has the worst record in its last 10 outings (4-5-1).

Silver lining for Wings

If there’s a bright side to their last nine games, though, it is the fact that the Red Wings face an easier slate—in terms of strength of schedule—than their counterparts. Detroit has the 14th-hardest remaining strength of schedule in the NHL, but most of the teams in the Eastern playoff race face even tougher paths.

For example, the Islanders, Blue Jackets, Bruins, Flyers, and Senators are all in the top 10 for toughest remaining schedules. The league has entered the home stretch of a heated race, and the East features a nine-team battle for five spots.

“We were a little bit sluggish for whatever reason,” Todd McLellan commented after the Red Wings lost 3-2 to the Senators, via NHL.com.

Detroit outshot Ottawa 35-21, but was inefficient and paid the price for it. After this defeat, and considering they were coming off a loss to the Boston Bruins, the Red Wings have now dropped consecutive outings against direct opponents in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the 2025-26 NHL season. McLellan is well aware the Red Wings are now standing on thin ice, and something must change.

Where Red Wings stand in playoff race

Detroit is currently on the outside looking in. The Red Wings sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division and are one point behind the Senators—the last wild-card berth at the moment. A win over the Sens would’ve put the Red Wings in a playoff spot while giving them a three-point lead over their divisional counterparts.

While deflating, this defeat is far from season-ending for Detroit, but it does complicate things more than they needed to be in Motor City. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs in each of their last nine seasons, and they are now facing a very real possibility of missing the postseason for a 10th straight year.

With the Buffalo Sabres sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division, the Red Wings could go on to have the longest active playoff drought in the NHL. Perhaps not even the “Yzerplan” rebuild and McLellan’s arrival will help change the tune in Detroit, as fans in the 313 have been treated to the same old heartbreaking Red Wings for a decade now.

Alex DeBrincat shined for Detroit, scoring the go-ahead goal late in the third period and adding two assists. J.T. Compher and Andrew Copp also scored to keep the Red Wings tied with Montreal in points for third place in the Atlantic Division and level with the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference wild-card spots.

This was DeBrincat’s second straight three-point game, and his line with Compher and Patrick Kane has become Detroit’s primary scoring force since Dylan Larkin’s lower-body injury on March 6. Copp returned after missing three games and added an empty-net goal to seal the win.

DeBrincat leads Red Wings’ scoring line

DeBrincat’s five-game point streak, with nine points (one goal, eight assists), highlights his importance to Detroit’s playoff push. “(Compher) has been great since (Larkin) and (Copp) went out. He was filling in on Larkin’s line and now he’s playing with us and he’s been really good. Now we’ve got (Copp) back as well,” DeBrincat said.

Red Wings stay in playoff contention

The win keeps Detroit in a strong position for the postseason, tied in points with Montreal and the Bruins for the Eastern Conference wild-card spots. John Gibson’s 32 saves and the top line’s consistency reflect the competitive identity Todd McLellan expects from his team, showing Detroit can contend even without Larkin in the lineup.

“[Larkin] is MIA (Missing in Action),” McLellan jokingly said about Larkin, whose adventures with the gold medal have gone viral all over social media, during a press conference. “From what I understand, the POTUS has invited [Team USA] to Washington, and I believe that’s where they are at.

“If it all goes well—weather and flights cooperate—Larkin can sleep in his own bed late tonight. We will have him around the arena tomorrow. Not sure if he will skate, but we expect him to be on the plane and be a factor in Ottawa on Thursday.”

Larkin and Red Wings resume playoff push

As McLellan told reporters, Larkin will be back in the lineup when the Red Wings resume their 2025–26 NHL season against the Ottawa Senators. With him back on the ice, Kane and the rest of the Wings can resume their push to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2015–16 season.

Ten years later, Detroit is vying to snap its nine-season playoff drought. It is the second-longest active drought, only behind the Buffalo Sabres’ 14-year streak. As it stands, both franchises are set to snap those streaks.

Larkin and Kane’s numbers so far

So far in the 2025-26 NHL season, Larkin registers 51 points (26 goals and 25 assists) in 58 appearances. Meanwhile, Kane has put up 32 points (8 goals and 24 assists) in 43 outings.

Moritz Seider led the charge with a goal and two assists, while Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond each contributed a goal and an assist. Veteran goaltender John Gibson made 34 saves to halt a seven-start winless stretch (0-5-1), cementing a performance the team desperately needed.

“That was a real roller coaster of a game for a goaltender,” Red Wings coach McLellan said, according to NHL.com. “It wasn’t easy, but [Gibson] got us a win. That has to be good for his confidence.”

How did Detroit adjust to beat Boston?

The Red Wings opened the scoring early, with James van Riemsdyk finding the net at 6:52 of the first period. Seider followed with a point shot that slipped through traffic, making it 2-0 by the end of the opening frame. Detroit maintained control despite Boston’s attempts to respond, including Alex Steeves’ first-period goal.

DeBrincat’s second-period strike pushed the lead to 3-0 before Jonathan Aspirot and Steeves narrowed the gap. Gibson made critical saves late in the frame, helping Detroit preserve its advantage. Lucas Raymond’s power-play goal early in the third period gave the Red Wings a 5-2 cushion, ultimately holding off a late Boston push.

Bruins’ struggles in the rematch

The Bruins’ offense was led by Steeves, who scored twice, while Hampus Lindholm and Morgan Geekie added multiple assists. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman allowed five goals on 23 shots before being replaced by Joonas Korpisalo in relief.

Bruins coach Marco Sturm admitted his team’s start hurt their chances. “It just wasn’t sharp in the first period,” Sturm said, noting that Swayman had faced difficult defensive coverage.

In Detroit’s 6–3 defeat at Little Caesars Arena, goals from Dylan Larkin and Michael Rasmussen weren’t enough to counter a dominant Lightning squad. Goaltender John Gibson allowed five goals, marking another rough outing for a Red Wings team searching for consistency. Fans and analysts alike have questioned what has gone wrong, but head coach Todd McLellan offered his perspective on the ongoing struggles.

“Our players care, there’s no question about it, but that only takes you so far,” McLellan said, via NHL.com. “We gifted them their second goal and the [fifth] one at 4-on-4. We’re not good enough to be giving stuff away for free.” His assessment was blunt: talent exists on the roster, but performance is falling short.

Can the Red Wings turn things around?

McLellan didn’t hold back on the team’s deficiencies. “Do we have enough talent? Yes, I think we do. Are we playing well enough? No, we are not.” While dedication is evident, execution has repeatedly failed, leaving the Red Wings struggling in the standings.

For their part, the Lightning continued their winning streak, improving to 15-7-2 and maintaining a lead atop the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay’s dominance in chaotic net-front situations exposed a Red Wings defense that has been inconsistent all season.

Looking ahead to Boston

Detroit remains fifth in the Atlantic Division at 13-11-1, with plenty of hockey still to play. However, urgent improvements are necessary if the team hopes to climb the standings. On Saturday, the Red Wings travel to face the Boston Bruins, another Atlantic Division rival, providing an immediate chance to rebound.

“Todd talked a lot about netfront play in the last couple of days,” said Larkin, Detroit’s captain. “And then we gave up two goals from the front of the net. Just about all of their goals were from chaos in front. We’re not winning those battles and it is frustrating.”

In assessing the loss, head coach Todd McLellan delivered a candid admission about the type of goals his team allowed, emphasizing how such breakdowns continue to put Detroit in compromising positions.

McLellan’s remarks came after the Devils capitalized on two quick strikes late in the first period, swinging momentum in a game that had been tightly contested to that point.

“It’s going to happen sometimes, but it’s how you give them up,” McLellan said postgame, according to NHL.com. “The freebies, they’re killers at the end of the night. If a team really earns it and has done what it needs to do, you have to live with that and move on.”

Red Wings’ push falls short

Although the Red Wings trailed entering the third, they delivered one of their most aggressive closing frames of the season. Detroit outshot the Devils 13–5, with Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane and J.T. Compher generating multiple high-danger opportunities that forced Jacob Markstrom into several crucial stops.

Larkin’s goal midway through the third period brought Detroit within one, shifting momentum decisively in their favor. However, the Red Wings were unable to convert the tying chance, with Markstrom denying Kane twice in the final seconds as Detroit pressed with urgency.

Defensive lapses remain a concern for Detroit

While Detroit proved once again it can generate offense against top-tier teams, McLellan’s postgame remarks underscored an ongoing issue: preventable goals continue to put the Red Wings in difficult positions. The late first-period collapses in coverage were the type of moments McLellan has warned against throughout the season.