Moneypuck.com says the Detroit Red Wings only have a 16.8% chance of earning a playoff spot. DHN’s Bob Duff explains how difficult it really is for Detroit to earn the playoff spot.

“The Detroit Red Wings aren’t out of the race for the NHL’s second Eastern Conference wild card playoff spot,” Duff writes. “At the same time, to gain that position, they are going to need help.”

Lots of help.

Because Auston Matthews has a shot at scoring 70 goals, the Red Wings face a very motivated Toronto Maple Leafs team tonight. The Red Wings’ last two games are against the Montreal Canadiens. Over the past 10 games, the Habs (5-4-1) own a better record than Detroit (3-4-3).

The Penguins have a more challenging schedule: Boston, Nashville and the New York Islanders. But former Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic, currently playing every game for Pittsburgh, is 8-0-3 in his last 11 starts.

To make matters worse, Duff explains in his NHL tiebreaker story, the first tiebreaker is regulation wins. Pittsburgh (31), Washington (29) and Philadelphia (29) all have more regulation wins than Detroit (27)

The race for the last wild card spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference is intriguing. pic.twitter.com/w91ywGe2Rz

— RepublicanDore (@RepublicanDore) April 12, 2024

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Ville Husso took the warmup for the Grand Rapids Griffins, but then didn’t play. No other information has been provided. He is supposed to be on a conditioning stay with the AHL team.
• Detroit prospect Shai Buium has a chance tonight to win his second NCAA championship with Denver. Detroit drafted him in the second round three years ago.
• Paywall story: Bob Duff explains how the Red Wings players have to keep their emotions in check during this campaign to qualify for the playoffs.  To subscribe, click here. To get $10 off the yearly subscription, use the promo code bob10.

Red Wings Next Game

Detroit is on the road to face the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. Toronto superstar Auston Matthews boasts 68 goals and his teammates will be trying to help him reach the 70-goal mark. The Red Wings need a win to sustain their hope of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Bruins GM Don Sweeney has been named Canada’s GM for the 2025 Four Nations Tournament and as the assistant GM for the 2026 Canadian Olympic hockey squad. Boston Bruins .

Colorado: Injured Mikko Rantanen is probable for tonight’s Colorado Avalanche game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Montreal: The Montreal Canadiens have signed dynamic Boston University defenseman Lane Hutson to an entry level contract. He has the potential to be an impact offensive defenseman.

Nashville: The Nashville Predators recalled veteran goalie Troy Grosenick from Milwaukee because they want to rest Juuse Saros before the NHL playoffs.

Philadelphia:  Flyers president Keith Jones weighed in on coach John Tortorella and the Philadelphia Flyers collapse.

Pittsburgh: With former Red Wings goalie Alex Nedeljkovic pushing Tristan Jarry aside, future decisions loom for Pittsburgh Penguins management.

The post The Daily: Red Wings’ Road Ahead Bumpy; Is Ned Pens’ No. 1? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

The Ottawa Senators, a primary Red Wings’ rival, helped Detroit in a big way Sunday night by downing the Washington Capitals 3-2 in overtime.

Denying the Capitals an extra point allowed the Red Wings to stay in the Eastern Conference second wildcard spot. Detroit moved into that final spot by beating Buffalo 3-1 Sunday afternoon.

Each contender for that wildcard position has five games remaining. Now, Detroit controls its own destiny. If the Red Wings win their last five games, then they will qualify for the playoffs for the first time in five years.

The Capitals have now lost six in a row. The Red Wings play them Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena.

Defenseman Jake Sanderson scored 41 seconds into overtime to give the Senators the win. He beat Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren with a wrist shot from the point. The Senators had tied the game 2-2 at 12:49 of the third period on a goal by Ridly Greig

Jake Sanderson gets it done in OT for the Sens! pic.twitter.com/oSAdAHGwO0

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 8, 2024

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Moritz Seider is the Red Wings’ top shot blocker. He confirmed that Sunday when he blocked 10 shots in Detroit’s 3-1 win against Buffalo.
• Goalkeeper Alex Lyon had a strong performance (37 saves) in the home win against the Sabres.
• Grand Rapids Griffins are giving some younger prospects a taste of the American Hockey League late in the season.

Red Wings Next Game

The Red Wings are home to face the Washington Capitals Tuesday and everyone understands the score. Detroit fell 4-3 in overtime to Washington just 13 days ago. The Red Wings are 1-0-1 against Washington this season. They clubbed the Capitals 8-3 on Feb. 27. But the Red Wings will face a more desperate Washington team on Tuesday. The Capitals are one point behind Detroit, and come into Detroit on a six-game losing streak (0-4-2). In fact, Washington’s last win was the OT triumph against Detroit on March 26.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: Jimmy Murphy writes that it is a Stanley Cup or bust for defenseman Charlie McAvoy and the Boston Bruins.

Colorado: The Colorado Avalanche defensive woes continue as they fall 7-4 to the Dallas Stars. What’s going on in Colorado?

Florida: George Richards explains why you may see some new faces in the Florida Panthers’ lineup during their final regular-season homestand. Carter Verhaeghe and Aaron Ekblad probably won’t play again until the playoffs.

New Jersey: Masterton nominee Curtis Lazar could miss the remainder of the season for the New Jersey Devils.

Philadelphia: Jonathan Bailey explains why a Carolina Hurricanes’ signing impacts the Philadelphia Flyers.

Pittsburgh: Dave Molinari makes a case for Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby to win the Hart Trophy.

San Jose: Sheng Peng offers his Top 10 San Jose Sharks Prospect List. It’s interesting to note that Sharks’ recent signing Collin Graf, a hot NCAA free agent signing, is not on his list.

The post The Daily: Senators Do Red Wings A Favor; Crosby in Hart Race? appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.

DETROIT — When a team like the Detroit Red Wings is trying to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years, earning those final wins can feel as difficult as scaling the last 3,000 feet of Mount Everest.

That’s the zone where most problems occur. Every step seems harder than the last one.

“Winning is hard and we’re finding out how hard it is, especially real hockey,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “It’s the National Hockey League, every night’s tough. But this is next level type stuff. Tonight our guys stepped up.”

Lalonde’s words came after Detroit got first period goals from Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane and Dylan Larkin and rode that strong start to a 3-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres. That put Detroit on the right side of the Eastern Conference playoff line, although the Red Wings will be below it if Washington Capitals beat the Ottawa Senators tonight.

To earn that win, the Red Wings needed 37 saves from goalie Alex Lyon, 27 blocked shots and two fights (by Joe Veleno and Jeff Petry). Moritz Seider had 10 blocked shots.  The Red Wings had 28 hits and the Sabres boasted 27. This felt like a 1990s playoff game.

“I thought we did a good job of locking it down,” Lyon said. “I think they had some opportunities, but I think for the most part we did a good job of getting it deep and making them go 200 feet. And that’s what you’ve got to do when you have a lead, and play from the inside out and protect the house. I thought for the most part we were diligent with that.”

Stronger Defensively

On Friday, the Red Wings gave up a late power play to the Rangers and lost. That didn’t happen against the Sabres.

“There’s some mental fortitude from the group,”  Lalonde said. “But finding ways to close out games is difficult, especially against a team like that. Again, I think Alex was being a little humble there. I thought he was our best player in the third. That team had some looks, some really good looks that he kept out.”

Lyon had 17 saves in the third period when the Sabres dialed up the pressure. The loss is a big blow to their playoff hopes. The Sabres, who haven’t been in the playoffs for 12 years, are now five points behind Detroit.

It’s often said in the hockey world, that “your best players have to be your best players” to win big games in this sport. It is noteworthy that Detroit’s strong start came on goals by the team’s three most important offensive players. All three goals included an overflowing amount of determination. Raymond made a nifty move to gain some space. Kane burst through two defenders. And Larkin buried a shot top shelf.

LUCAS RAYMOND. pic.twitter.com/0kNjoywP0u

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 7, 2024

Good Start is Critical

“We’ve struggled with our starts a couple of weeks ago,” Raymond said. We’ve kind of cleaned that up. It’s always a benefit when you can come out like that. I think the first period was good, especially the first 10, and then we kind of dropped off a little. But a strong performance and like I said, nice to get out of here with a win.”

The prevailing wisdom is the Red Wings need to run the table this week with another win against Washington on Tuesday followed by a win against Pittsburgh on Thursday. That would probably put them in control of a wildcard spot.

“I think it’s imperative that we take it a day at a time,” Lyon said. “And I think that . . . I honestly didn’t know that we had the Capitals and Penguins coming up. I knew that we had important games. Living in the moment and staying day by day is absolutely crucial at this time of year, and remaining calm in critical situations. Talk about that all the time, but that’s what the best players do. We have teams that we can maybe make up ground, but the reality is if we get the job done here then we’re gonna have more difficult games after that. Your reward is just to play more hockey and more difficult games. You really can’t think too far into the future. You can’t worry about the past. We have to enjoy this, because that’s an important part of the process, for a little bit here. And then tomorrow we have to try and get better and keep moving forward.”

The post Red Wings Take Big Step Toward Playoffs With Win Over Sabres appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.