It’s fitting that this is the 72nd anniversary of the start of the Detroit Red Wings’ tradition of throwing of octopi on the ice at playoff time.

Brothers Jerry and Pete Cusimano worked at the family fish market at Detroit’s Eastern Market. They came up with the thought that the eight tentacles of an octopus could represent the eight wins a team needed to win the Stanley Cup in that era.  On April 15, 1952, after Detroit downed the Montreal Canadiens 3-0 to complete a four-game sweep in the Stanley Cup Final, the Cusimano brothers hurled an octopus onto the ice at Olympia Stadium. The Red Wings went 8-0 in that postseason. The Octopus tradition was born.

Over time, the tradition evolved to the point that fans were pitching multiple octopi over the glass after every Detroit goal in the playoffs. Because it was a safety issue and a significant disruption in the game, the NHL finally dictated the tradition had to be curtailed, although the Red Wings do tolerate the throwing of one octopus per game at playoff time.

The anniversary is relevant because the Red Wings play the Montreal Canadiens today at Little Caesars Arena in a game that feels like a playoff game. Detroit’s team has been in playoff mode for a few weeks. We’ve seen octopi thrown.

Postseason Drought

To qualify for the postseason for the first time in eight years, the Red Wings probably need to beat the Habs tonight in Detroit and Tuesday in Montreal. Even then, they could need help. What we know for sure is if Detroit and Pittsburgh lose in regulation tonight, they are eliminated.

“It’s about that first period at home on Monday night, getting a good start,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “Our starts have been good of late. Stay composed, narrow our focus and that narrow focus will be our first period.”

You can bet an octopus will fly over the glass tonight.

72 years ago today ON THIS DAY in hockey history (April 15, 1952):

The @DetroitRedWings beat the Canadiens 3-0 in Game #4 of the 1952 Stanley Cup Final to win the Stanley Cup, going undefeated (8-0) in the process. Brothers Jerry and Pete Cusimano toss the first Octopus too! pic.twitter.com/ZasPreqvMK

— Vintage Hockey Showcase (@hockey_vintage) April 15, 2024

Game Time

Monday: Montreal at Detroit

Where: Little Caesars Arena

TV/RADIO: Bally Sports Detroit/97.1 FM

Time: 7 p.m.

Canadiens Preview

Dynamic rookie defenseman Lane Hutson could make his debut for Montreal in tonight’s game. The slick puck mover has played for Boston University the last two seasons. Hutson posted 48 points as a freshman and 49 as a sophomore. He participated in the morning skate today…Montreal has lost five of its last seven, but did earn a point in two of the losses…The Habs rank 27th in scoring (2.8 goals per game) and 26th in goals-against average (3.40)… Montreal’s top line is Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky. Young Slafkovsky had a hat trick last week against Philadelphia.

Red Wings Preview

Lalonde is going with Alex Lyon in net. James Reimer is 7-2 in his last nine decisions. That includes a 5-4 overtime win against Toronto Saturday. Lyon has been the team’s No.1 ..Forwards Andrew Copp (broken cheekbone) and Michael Rasmussen (upper body injury) are injured. Copp did skate this morning with a full shield and he will decide after the morning skate with he can play. Copp has missed the past two games and Rasmussen has been sidelined since April 1…The Red Wings have given up 10 goals and scored 10 goals in their past two games…Lucas Raymond has generated four goals and four assists over his past four games. …Alex DeBrincat has two goals and three assists for five points in his past two games. DeBrincat will play against with Dylan Larkin and Raymond. J.T. Compher will center David Perron and Patrick Kane. The Red Wings are ninth in the NHL with a power play efficiency of 23.2%. The Canadiens rank 23rd on the penalty kill at 76.4%

DYLAN LARKIN GETS THE OVERTIME WINNER FOR THE 2PTS TO KEEP THE PLAYOFF DREAMS ALIVE!!

WINGS WIN 5-4#LGRW #RedWings pic.twitter.com/YMupHzSzqG

— Hockeytown Rundown (@HockeytownRD) April 14, 2024

The post Canadiens vs. Red Wings: Lines, Notes & How to Watch appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Carl Sandburg once offered that arithmetic is where “numbers fly like pigeons in and out of your head.”

That quote seems particularly appropriate these days because the proliferation of legalized gambling has flooded the sports world with daily odds and numbers dealing with the probability of an outcome. We used to follow NHL playoff races simply by paying attention to wins and losses. Now, we receive regular updates on the probability of a team earning an NHL playoff spot.

On Sunday, Stathletes listed Detroit’s probability of earning an NHL playoff berth at 22.8%. But Detroit’s 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday was deemed important enough to raise their Stathlete playoff probability to 42.9%. MoneyPuck.com lists the Red Wings’ postseason probability at 40.5%.

The Red Wings are still not officially in a playoff spot, although they are tied, based on points, with the Washington Capitals for the final Eastern Conference wildcard position. Both teams have 82 points, but Washington technically owns the spot because it has two games in hand. The Capitals play a road game tonight against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Philadelphia Flyers are the complicating factor in the race. They have a playoff berth because they sit third in the Metropolitan Division race with 83 points. If the Capitals win tonight, the Flyers would move down to the last wildcard spot.

Per Stathletes, the current probability to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

EAST
Lightning: 99.9%
Capitals: 71.0%
Flyers: 50.5%
Red Wings: 42.9%
Islanders: 25.0%
Devils: 6.4%
Penguins: 4.0%
Sabres: 0.1%

WEST
Predators: 99.2%
VGK: 98.6%
Kings 91.9%
Blues: 6.7%
Wild: 3.6%

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) April 2, 2024

Islanders Still Chasing Red Wings

Also, don’t lose sight of the fact that the New York Islanders, who beat Philadelphia Monday night, are only three points behind Detroit. The Islanders have a game in hand against Detroit. MoneyPuck.com says the Islanders have a 13.8% probability of earning a postseason position.

It is highly unlikely that the Capitals, Red Wings, Flyers or any other team will catch the Tampa Bay Lightning who have the first wildcard spot. With eight games left to play, the Lightning have a seven-point lead over both the Capitals and Red Wings. They are six up on the Flyers.

Should the Red Wings win the final wildcard spot,  they would play the New York Rangers based on today’s standings. By coincidence, Detroit’s next game is Friday against the Rangers. Detroit lost twice to the Rangers this season in Madison Square Garden.

But the division champions are unsettled. First-place Boston and second-place Florida are two points apart in the Atlantic, while the Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes are three points apart in the Metropolitan. The last wildcard team will play the division winner with the most points. Today, the Rangers have 104, while the Bruins and Hurricanes have 101.

All we know for sure is that the Red Wings only have seven games remaining, and probability percentages won’t matter unless Detroit wins the majority of those games.  They are coming off a 1-2-2 record on a five-game road trip.

Red Wings fans are sweating this out. As the late radio star Paul Harvey once said: “If there is a 50-50 chance something can go wrong, then nine times out of 10, it will.”

The post Updated Red Wings’ Playoff Odds and Scenarios appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella never pulls his punches in his post-game press briefings. When he’s not happy with his team, everybody knows it.

PHN’s Jonathan Bailey offers the details of Tortorella’s criticism of his team after a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. This game is important to the Detroit Red Wings because they are one point behind the Flyers. Philadelphia currently holds third place in the Metropolitan Division, but Washington is also one point back and has three games in hand. The expectation is the Flyers will end up in the fight for the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.

“There are certain people that don’t have a clue how to play,” Tortorella explained. “Or just don’t have it in them to play in these types of situations. This is why I’m glad we’re playing, because we have to figure things out, as far as what we’re going to become as a team here.

“That was an embarrassing second period for the Philadelphia Flyers uniform, the way we played. Embarrassing. High marks as far as how we came back in the third period. Some guys.”

Tortorella doesn’t accept fatigue as an excuse.

“If you don’t have the balls to play in these types of games, rest doesn’t do us any good,” Tortorella said.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Alex Lyon played a significant role in the Red Wings’ 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Detroit went 3-0 against the Lightning this season.
• Two Detroit Red Wings prospects will be playing in the NCAA Frozen Four starting April 11. One of them is Kris Draper’s son, Kienan.
• Detroit first-round draft pick Sebastian Cossa has helped the Grand Rapids Griffins earn at least one point in 17 consecutive games. He hasn’t lost a game in regulation in 80 days.

Red Wings Next Game

After pulling off a critical road win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Red Wings have three days to prepare for an equally important contest against the New York Rangers on Friday. They also play Sunday at home against the Buffalo Sabres. The Red Wings were 1-2-2 on their five-game road trip, earning four out of a possible 10 points.  The Rangers lost 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday. Before then, the Rangers had won seven of their last eight. Since Jan. 27, the Rangers are 20-5-1.

Hockey Now Network

Calgary: Trevor Neufeld explores what has happened with the Calgary Flames since rtheir UFA selloff before the trade deadline. It’s not pretty.

Chicago:  Nate Brown weighs in on whether the Chicago Blackhawks should pursue a trade for Trevor Zegras in the offseason.

Nashville: NHN’s Michael Gallagher looks at the Nashville Predators‘ interest in top college free agents.

Pittsburgh: Wayne Crosby ties Gretzky record in Pittsburgh Penguins win against the New York Rangers.

San Jose: Sheng Peng looks at what former Detroit Red Wings player Klim Kostin needs to do to maximize his value to the San Jose Sharks.

The post The Daily: Torts Questions If Flyers Have ‘The Balls’; Crosby Feat appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

When the Detroit Red Wings started preparing for today’s game against the Nashville Predators, it was challenging to know where to start. It’s not one thing that has allowed them to go 14-0-2 in their last 16 games. It’s everything.

“They start from the net up,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “Their goaltending (Juuse Saros) is getting back to that world-class form that he has shown in the past. I think that brings confidence to the group, and then they’re clicking in all areas. Their superstars are playing like superstars. Checkers are checking. Offense is playing well. Their special teams. It’s been pretty impressive to watch.”

As impressive as the Predators have been of late, the Red Wings need to crack their code. They desperately need a win tonight. The Washington Capitals are only one point behind them in wild card race, and the Capitals have one game in hand.

They always say it’s about the team that’s heating up at the right time#nhl #hockey #nashville #nashvillepredators #predators #preds #smashville #playoffs #josi #trotz #oreilly #coach

Are you sold on the Preds? pic.twitter.com/Qkezn24QuA

— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) March 21, 2024

Game Time/How to Watch

5 p.m., ET, Bally Sports

Red Wings Preview

Alex Lyon will be in goal today for the Red Wings, his first start since last Sunday when the Pittsburgh Penguins scored five against him… Defenseman Jake Walman is still sidelined with an undisclosed injury. That means Simon Edvinsson is still playing in Detroit’s top four defenseman..The Red Wings lines are expected to be David Perron-Dylan Larkin-Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat-J.T. Compher-Patrick Kane, Michael Rasmussen-Andrew Copp-Christian Fischer, Robby Fabbri-Joe Veleno-Daniel Sprong…Raymond has a six-game points streak (7-2-9).

The Red Wings, with three wins in four games, feel like they have some momentum.

“I think it’s the way we’ve done it, too,” David Perron said. “Obviously winning is big. That’s really all that matters in the end. I think the way we’ve done it, we felt like our team game has been excellent. We want to keep building on this. Especially I think the start we had (against the New York Islanders), we stayed patient throughout, no matter what happened. We stayed to our structure, the game plan that we wanted to execute and we did it honestly to a T and we got rewarded because of it.”

Predators Preview

Kevin Lankinen is coming off a 33-save shutout against Florida, but Juuse Saros plays 78.5% of Nashville’s games. He’s the projected starter….Nashville is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games against the Red Wings…Nashville’s top line consists of Filip Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly and former Red Wings player Gustav Nyquist. He is having the best season of his career (62 points in 70 games). He has six points in his past four games. Forsberg has 15 points in his past eight games…The Predators are entrenched in a Western Conference wild card position, holding a nine-point lead.

The post Playoff Race: Red Wings vs. Predators; Lines, Notes, How to Watch appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

One common thread of the Detroit Red Wings struggles of late has been the fact that their start time has been 30 minutes after game time.  The Red Wings have been first period no-shows.

The Detroit Red Wings were out-shot 20-5 Tuesday and fell behind 2-0 in the first period against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They were out-shot 14-5 and were down 3-1 in the first period Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Red Wings have had poor starts throughout their current 2-8 skid.

“I think we come to the rink with the expectation to win,” Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider said. “We are fired up but we just can’t translate it on the ice. We have a good atmosphere in the room before. Now we just gotta make sure we’re really dialed in.”

The Red Wings haven’t had much jump in the opening 20 minutes, and their focus has been off.  That’s not the way they were playing when they were 9-2-2 in January.  Detroit players know they need a higher first period performance level Thursday when they face the New York Islanders.

“It’s probably the biggest game of our season tomorrow and we definitely can’t fall asleep in the first 10 minutes,” Seider said.

Poor defensive coverage. Giving up breakaways. No offensive push.  Mental mistakes. Can’t get to the net. The Red Wings have been guilty of multiple first period sins.

Variety of Issues

“(The problems have) been different,” Lalonde said. “In Buffalo we started well but we gave up a power play goal. The Arizona start and last night’s start were very similar where everyone’s first shift was fine. We earn ourselves two power plays and lose a little momentum off our power play and it ends up in the back of our net. I just think simple, north, work off the forecheck, get pucks to the net, just a simple recipe to get us going.”

Lalonde said Detroit’s coaching staff  also needs to accept some responsibility.

“They’re obviously not responding from video and our meetings with some of these starts, so we’ll try to be a little bit different,”  Lalonde said. ” It’s an interesting time of year. It’s so emotional right now, the highs and lows. You talk about the narrative last night, you go from one narrative, if we lost, to now we’ve won two of three, we’re above the line. It’s amazing the emotional roller coaster, even within a game. We can beat down the same type of things we talked about. Maybe we have to change up the approach a little bit.”

After the comeback win against Columbus, Lalonde said one consideration is shortening his bench in the first period, like he would at the end of the game.

“We’re just kind of talking about who’s going, who’s not, who can you expect to go?” Lalonde said. “Maybe it’s one of those situations where we shorten it early. Very similar to shortening it late in the game to try to find that goal to tie it. Again, that’ll be on the staff and the group to be much more competitive to start.”

Trying something new makes sense, because what they are doing now hasn’t been working.

The post Red Wings Set Their Alarm to Start On Time Thursday appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings lost eight out of nine. They fell out of an Eastern Conference wild card spot. Local sports talk Radio, 97.1 The Ticket, even did a segment three hours before game time about whether Detroit coach Derek Lalonde was in danger of being fired.

Their opponent was the Columbus Blue Jackets, a team sitting 29th in the NHL overall standings. This was going to be the ‘W’ that would get them rolling.  Lalonde expected his team to breathe fire in the first period. Instead, the Red Wings played one of their worst periods of the slump. They were out-shot 20-5 and outscored 2-0 on breakaway goals.

“I was flabbergasted,” Lalonde said. “I was shocked. Disappointed. I never thought with this group that … it felt like they quit, and I couldn’t believe it.”

Lalonde would not reveal the specifics of what he said to his players after the period. “I’ll probably just keep that in the room,” he said.

Regain Playoff Spot

But whatever was said, the Red Wings had not quit. They tied the game 2-2 on second period goals by Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. Even when it looked bleak when they trailed 3-2 late in the third, they found a tying goal by Raymond with 12.6 seconds remaining in regulation. Then, they won 4-3 on Patrick Kane‘s overtime goal.

WHAT A FINISH!

Patrick Kane scores the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for the Red Wings. pic.twitter.com/eTNWjjBaPR

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 20, 2024

It was the 15th time this season the Blue Jackets lost a third-period lead. James Reimer was impressive enough (32 saves) in goal to deserve a start on Thursday for Detroit.

The win pushed the Red Wings back into the Eastern Conference’s second wild card position, one point ahead of the Washington Capitals and three ahead of the New York Islanders. The Red Wings play the Islanders Thursday.

“So many emotional narratives this time of year,” Lalonde said. “Obviously, if we lose it’s a big narrative. Now we win and we’re won two of our last three and we’re over that line again. Separated ourselves a little bit from one of the teams we’re chasing with. It was huge, but it means nothing if we don’t get a little more battle to start. Stop feeling sorry for ourselves. It’s got to come from everyone. Honestly, going into this game, I thought we would have some jump.”

Kane Supplies Offense

Kane was involved in all three of Detroit’s goals, setting up both of Raymond’s goals. He admitted it was challenging to stay positive after the disastrous first period.

“It’s tough for sure, especially given the situation we were in a couple weeks ago,” Kane said. “But you try not to think about that and focus on the task at hand and just regroup. We were down two. It wasn’t like we were down five. So there was a lot of time left.”

The Red Wings were piling up wins three weeks ago, and had an eight-point lead in the wild card race.

While the Red Wings have been self-destructing, Raymond has been the only Detroit player surging. He has scored at least one goal in five consecutive games, and has seven goals in those five games. Raymond has back-to-back two-goal games.

“I think we just got back to the way we’re supposed to play,” Raymond said. “I think in the first we were hesitant, a little bit on our heels, playing slow. That doesn’t work in this league. Just full focus forward, just got momentum and tried to keep that going.”

The post Lalonde: ‘It Felt Like They Quit’; Red Wings Reclaim Playoff Spot appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Coach Derek Lalonde said he didn’t think his captain Dylan Larkin would play this weekend. He thought Larkin would be in the day-to-day range starting Monday, the day after Detroit plays Pittsburgh. But he added, “That could change.”

It could change because everyone understands the importance of Larkin returning to the lineup. It was as if they were jetting along, and an engine fell off. The Red Wings are 2-8 without him this season, and the team has three games before Monday.

The Red Wings were 0-2 without him last season. In 2021-22, Detroit was 5-5-1 without him. Bottom line: The Red Wings can’t get their ahead above water when he’s absent.

With 17 games remaining this season, his return is vital to the team’s hope of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. The Detroit players seem to be feeling the weight of their six-game losing streak, evidenced by the scuffle in practice Wednesday.

If Larkin isn’t ready, he isn’t ready. Medical opinions rule. But how Larkin feels when he skates will certainly influence medical opinion. You know he wants to play.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Patrick Kane thought the Red Wings had a good effort in the loss to Vegas.  Otherwise, he thinks the team’s effort has been inconsistent during the six-game losing streak. Read Bob Duff’s story.
• Ben Chiarot and Lucas Raymond got into a physical altercation Wednesday at practice. Frustrations are boiling over for Detroit players during this six-game losing streak.
• Filip Zadina now has 12 goals this season for the San Jose Sharks. He never scored that many in a single season for Detroit.
• You have to see the goal that Detroit Red Wings prospect Tnias Mathurin scored in the Ontario Hockey League.

Red Wings Next Game

Alex Lyon will start in goal for the Detroit Red Wings tonight when they play a rematch game against the Arizona Coyotes at Little Caesars Arena. The Coyotes humbled the Red Wings Friday by a 4-0 decision Friday in Arizona.

Hockey Now Network

Chicago: With the Chicago Blackhawks winning three out of four, fans have a glimpse of what the future could look like with Connor Bedard.

Nashville: H0w post- NHL Trade Deadline rules will impact the Nashville Predators. 

Philadelphia: Why the Ryan Johansen injury is bad news for the Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh: Dave Molinari weighs in on what Sidney Crosby’s next contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins should look like.

The post The Daily: Larkin Vital to Playoff Berth; Crosby’s Next Contract appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings don’t have to say a word because the numbers can scream for themselves.  An 0-4 road road trip. Six consecutive losses overall. Outscored 32-11. An eight-point cushion in the playoff race is gone.

And worst of all, the Red Wings seem to have zero answers about how to turn it around.

The Red Wings went into the game expecting, or at least hoping, they could halt the losing streak. Instead, Buffalo Sabres dominated them in a 7-3 win that pushes the Red Wings below the playoff line. The Red Wings and Islanders are tied for the second Eastern Conference wild card spot, but the Islanders have a percentage points lead because they have a game in hand.

With the win, the Sabres are now only five points behind Detroit. The Red Wings gave up seven goals to a team that has scored three or fewer goals in 14 of their last 17 games.

Another Poor Start

“Rough start,” Coach Derek Lalonde told Bally Sports. “We gave a top player a breakaway just over a minute into the game. Can’t feed their offense, their skilled guys. We want to make it hard on them. We gave them easy offense. And then we just got chasing it. We got out of structure a little bit. I think we got a little bit rattled and obviously that was the first period.”

Poor starts have been a problem throughout the losing streak.

“It’s for sure a mentality thing,” Detroit’s Lucas Raymond said. “I think we, if you look at the three periods, we’ve had really tough starts. It kind of gets ourselves in a hole to kind of dig out. That’s a huge thing for us. We need to come out with better starts to keep us in it and just find a way to win hockey games.”

Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said earlier that the game in Buffalo wasn’t a “must win.” But it was a “must play well.” That didn’t happen. The Red wings played better in the loss to Vegas Saturday then it did against Buffalo.

“We got to fight out of it,” Lalonde said. “Even after the second period – stay positive with it, we’ll play through it. We’ll get an opportunity again on Thursday. We just need to fight with some positives here. It’s disappointing because we showed some signs in Vegas with some positive team play, especially in that third period, and then we just didn’t have it tonight. We were slow. They played with way better pace. It looked like a huge mismatch. We got to figure it out.”

Joe Veleno had to leave the game when he was struck in the head by Buffalo defenseman Connor Clifton’s shot.

Scary moment for Joe Veleno after he took a Connor Clifton shot to the head #LetsGoBuffalo #LGRW pic.twitter.com/DdZMipyFiC

— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 13, 2024

“I did see him just now,” Lalonde said. “He felt pretty good. Probably more kind of a protocol situation. So he’ll see the doctor in the morning and hopefully be available for us on Thursday.”

Many Detroit players subpar

The defensive pairing of Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry was -4 in this game. Alex Lyon was pulled late in the first period after giving up four goals on 11 shots. This losing streak isn’t on him, but his .692 save percentage is clearly not what Detroit needed in this game.

The fact this losing streak is coming with Dylan Larkin on the injured list illustrates his importance. He is going to be sidelined at least through the weekend.

“Obviously a huge part of our team,” Raymond said. “Our captain on and off the ice. But at the same time we need to play better. I think that’s just it. We can do it. When we play the way we’re supposed to, we’re a hell of a hockey team. Obviously he’s a huge part of our team, but we need to get back to things here.”
 

The post Red Wings Hole Gets Deeper; Losing Streak at Six appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Detroit Red Wings owe journeyman goalie David Rittich a drink, or at least a thank you note.

Rittich made 26 saves to spark the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-0 win against the New York Islanders. That outcome put the Red Wings back in the second wild card position in the Eastern Conference on a tiebreaker. Detroit and New York both have 72 points, but Detroit has more regulation and overtime wins.

The Rittich standout performance put an end to the Islanders’ six-game winning streak.  Playing for his fifth NHL team, the Czech native blanked a team that was averaging five goals per game during their winning streak.

Detroit spent roughly 27 hours out of a playoff spot after being in one since Jan. 13.  The Islanders moved into the spot by percentage points Sunday night.  That doesn’t change the fact Detroit players desperately need to end their five-game losing streak tonight when they face the Sabres in Buffalo.

Detroit is a +106 moneyline underdog against the Sabres.

With only 18 games remaining, the Red Wings must rekindle an offense that has averaged 1.6 goals per game during their losing skid.

Big Help

The Red Wings also received other help Monday night because the Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils both lost. The Capitals are only three points behind Detroit, while New Jersey is six back.

Just as important, the Red Wings are only two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning who hold the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Detroit has one game in hand on the Lightning.

Detroit’s next five games (at Buffalo, vs. Arizona, vs. Buffalo, at Pittsburgh and vs. Columbus) are against teams currently not in a playoff spot. Running the table would strengthen the Red Wings’ hope of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.

The Red Wings also have an important contest against the Islanders at Little Caesars Arena on March. 21.

The post Red Wings Should Send David Rittich Flowers or Something appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

Detroit Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde sounded particularly disappointed about his team’s performance in a 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders. The team had a poor start and didn’t show the level of consistency that they had  racking up six consecutive wins before this contest.

The Red Wings were undoubtedly hoping to still be playing at a high level when they started a challenging stretch in their schedule.

They face the Florida Panthers Saturday and the Panthers just took over the No. 1 position in the NHL standings.  They have won nine of their last 10 games.

SAM REINHART IS A 40 GOAL SCORER pic.twitter.com/mJ8RKTG5Xk

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 1, 2024

The Detroit squad then embarks on a four-game road trip that includes  Colorado, Arizona, Vegas and Buffalo.

“They’re all good. We’re looking at two Stanley Cup contenders, maybe favorites over the next week. Three of them, probably,” Lalonde said. “Opportunities like this, we’re gonna need every single point through 82 games and tonight (against the Islanders) it felt like a missed opportunity. “

The Coyotes (0-8-2 in their last 10), but Florida, Colorado and Vegas are contenders. The Golden Knights have been overrun by injuries. Even the Sabres are 6-4 in their last 10.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Detroit wasted an impressive offensive showing by steady defenseman Olli Maatta Thursday in the loss to the New York Islanders.
• Paywall story: Tim Robinson provides an update on 2023 draft pick Larry Keenan who is playing for Penticton in the British Columbia Hockey League. Former Red Wings Brett Hull and Joe Murphy played there. To subscribe to paywall stories and remove ads, click here.  To get $10 off our subscriptions price, use the promo code kevin10.
• Former Detroit player Tyler Bertuzzi has emerged from his scoring slump to help his Toronto Maple Leafs win some games.

Red Wings Next Game

Detroit is home to face the Florida Panthers Saturday at 3 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena . The Red Wings beat the Panthers 3-2 in overtime in their last meeting in Florida on Jan. 17. Dylan Larkin scored the game-winner. Patrick Kane takes a 10-game point scoring streak (5-10-15) into Saturday’s game.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: General manager Don Sweeney confirms there’s a gap in contract talks between the Boston Bruins and Jake DeBrusk.

Colorado: Report says the Colorado Avalanche were a finalist in the negotiations to acquire Chris Tanev.

Florida: The Florida Panthers (40-16-4) downed the Montreal Canadiens to become the No. 1 team in the NHL standings.

Montreal: Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Montreal Canadiens, unsure they want to move David Savard, have set a high price (a first round pick or equivalent) for him in the trade market. Savard is a desirable veteran who helps his team on and off the ice.

Philadelphia: Many around the NHL believe the Philadelphia Flyers as vulnerable to falling out of the playoffs, but Sam Carchidi points out that Moneypuck.com pegs the Flyers chances of making the playoffs at 74,5%,

The post The Daily: Red Wings Have Challenges Ahead; Habs May Keep Savard appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.