Detroit Red Wings
Could Going West Prevent Red Wings From Going South?
Detroit went 4-0 on last western swing
It feels strongly that the next three games are the season for the Detroit Red Wings. If they don’t come away with a positive outcome from this trio of games on a western road trip, it’s almost certainly going to be time to realize that yet again this season, the playoffs are something for other NHL teams to experience.
Back in late January, as they were readying for a four-game western swing, Detroit felt on top of the hockey world. The Red Wings had won three in a row. They would go 4-0 on the trip, with wins at Edmonton, Calgary Vancouver and Seattle.
Those wins were earned by razor-thin margins, mind you. Two came via shootout and a third in overtime. Yet, they were positive results and right now, that’s all that matters as the regular season draws toward the finish line.
Game Day in Vegas. #LGRW
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📻 @971theticketxyt pic.twitter.com/CmipuMceLw— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 22, 2025
These Wings aren’t going into this trip riding high. In fact, since coming back from that western trip, Detroit has gone south. The Wings are 2-8 in 10 games since. Can history repeat itself as the Wings visit Vegas, Utah and Colorado over the next four days? Can they remember how the west was won the last time, and win it over again?
“I think it started in Edmonton and we had a good team win,” captain Dylan Larkin recalled. “It wasn’t pretty the whole game, but we defended well, we played a good, solid team game. That was an emphasis to follow up the first game of the road trip.
“And it’s something we should bring into this trip. And we talked about … getting off to a good start against Vegas. They’re going to be a different team than they were against us (3-0 home-ice win for Detroit on March 16). But we’ll be ready to go and get the first one and then follow it up.”
Daunting Task For Red Wings
The Red Wings have slid to 12th in the Eastern Conference. They are four points out of the second Wild Card. There are no more missteps that can be taken.
That being said, this trip certainly doesn’t look like it will result in a happy ending for Detroit.
“Yeah, this isn’t a walk in the park trip for our club,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan admitted.
Today’s ABC Hockey Saturday game is in prime time and features Dylan Larkin dueling Jack Eichel for the second time over a six-day span.
Tune in at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and @ESPNPlus. pic.twitter.com/9wpdb5gTkd
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 22, 2025
It starts Saturday in Vegas, where the Golden Knights are 25-7-3 this season. The Red Wings haven’t won at T-Mobile Arena since 2019.
Monday the Wings play at Utah for the first time. Including a game in Detroit earlier this season and against the club in its previous life as the Arizona Coyotes, the Red Wings are 1-6-2 in the last nine games facing this franchise.
Finally, there’s a Tuesday tilt at Colorado against the red-hot Avalanche, who are 9-1-1 over the past 11 games. Facing the Avalanche, Detroit is 1-10-2 through the past 13 games. Detroit hasn’t won at Colorado in over nine years. The Wings are 0-6-1 in their last seven visits to Ball Arena.
“Yeah, it’s a tough road trip,” Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson said. “I saw somewhere that we had the toughest schedule left or something like that.
“We’ve done it before. But it’s gonna be a hard challenge. It’s gonna be tough. So all we have to do is be on top every night. That’s gonna be the biggest thing for us.”
