The Daily: Red Wings Playoff Odds at 50.7%; Vegas Losing Marchessault?

The odds to make the NHL playoffs are with the Detroit Red Wings as they continue their extended All-Star break this week.  Detroit’s  playoff probability is 50.7% according to moneypuck.com.

With 32 games remaining, the Red Wings hold one of two Eastern Conference wild card spots.  They have a six-point lead over the New York Islanders who are their closest competitors.  The probability of other teams around them: Tampa Bay Lightning (90.9%), Philadelphia Flyers (60.4%), Pittsburgh Penguins (58.6%) and New Jersey (21.4%).

The NHL season resumes tomorrow but the Red Wings won’t return to practice until Thursday.  They play Saturday against the No. 1-ranked Vancouver Canucks. Tankathon has the Red Wings listed with the ninth-hardest schedule remaining in the Eastern Conference.

Going into Wednesday’s game, they have 32 games remaining and 18 of those games (56.2%) are against teams that are not currently in a playoff spot. They play the Buffalo Sabres and Washington Capitals three times each and end the season with a home and home against the Montreal Canadiens. They also have two games against the Arizona Coyotes who ranked 23rd in the game.

The Red Wings also play the Chicago Blackhawks (ranked 32nd out of 32 teams), Columbus Blue Jackets (28th) and Calgary Flames (24th). On the plus side, they don’t have any more games remaining against the Boston Bruins or the Dallas Stars.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Red Wings great Nicklas Lidstrom says Pavel Datsyuk is the most talented teammate he ever had in Detroit.
• Former Red Wings player Anthony Mantha has found his scoring touch again fro the Washington Capitals.
• Paywall story: Christian Fischer is the Detroit Red Wings hard-working unsung hero.
• Alex DeBrincat played well enough at the NHL All-Star game to deserve the MVP award.

Red Wings Next Game

The Grand Rapids Griffins will play another game before the Red Wings do. The Griffins, in the midst of an 11-2-1-0 surge, play Friday at home against the Manitoba Moose. Detroit plays Saturday at Little Caesars Arena at 1 p.m. against the Vancouver Canucks.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Jimmy Murphy offers the theory that the Boston Bruins pulled out of Elias Lindholm trade talk because he was unwilling to talk about an extension. They weren’t interested in a rental property.

Chicago: Nate Brown offers that six prospects have a chance to make the Chicago Blackhawks roster next season, led by Ethan Del Mastro

Florida: George Richards believe the Florida Panthers to make their final push to be ready for the  NHL playoffs. With a 14-point lead in over the first time outside the wild card race, moneypuck.com says the Panthers have a 97.3% chance of making the playoffs.

Montreal: Marc Dumont explains the impact of the Montreal Canadiens signing of forward Brandon Gignac.

New Jersey: Coach Lindy Ruff confirms that Jack Hughes is getting close to returning from his injury. But he didn’t provide a time table for the New Jersey Devils forward.

Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby chose to come to practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins than take the break is was entitled to for being an All-Star.

Vegas: The Vegas Golden Knights window to re-sign Jonathan Marchessault is closing.