Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings Giving Off Weekend At Bernie’s Vibe
Are Detroit’s playoff chances dead in the water?
The playoffs got further away for the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. No wonder this Red Wings weekend of action is beginning to feel more like a remake of Weekend At Bernie’s.
If you don’t remember the 1989 cult classic, Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy spend a weekend propping up a dead guy, pretending he’s still alive.
Weekend at Bernie's. pic.twitter.com/GMSGpktjsF
— Angela ❤️🐶🌈🌞 (@Angie_baby_25) March 26, 2025
That’s kind of what it feels like we’re doing with the Red Wings and their chances of making the Stanley Cup playoffs.
On paper, Detroit fell six points out of the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot thanks to Montreal’s 4-1 win over Boston. The Canadiens have 81 points. Detroit has 75 and eight games to play. In between the Canadiens and Red Wings are the New York Rangers (79) and Columbus Blue Jackets (77).
Next up for the Red Wings? Weekend home games against the Carolina Hurricanes (Friday) and Florida Panthers (Sunday). Detroit has lost six in a row to the Hurricanes. In their last six visits to Little Caesars Arena, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers are 5-0-1.
Red Wings Running Out Of Runway
Just a few days ago, Detroit was 29 seconds away from a win over St. Louis. Montreal was nine seconds from a loss to Florida.
The Wings were that close to being a point out of the playoffs. Insead, they squandered the lead, losing in overtime. Montreal would rally to win in OT. Now the gap lengthened to four points.
It felt like a seminal moment in Detroit’s season.
Even this Red Wings fan was impressed by the Blues' win 😅🤣 pic.twitter.com/3DfApOPLYO
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 2, 2025
“Just facing the reality, I guess,” Detroit forward Alex DeBrincat said. “Yeah, I mean, I check it out.”
By it, he meant the NHL standings.
“I think it’s hard not to at this point of the year,” DeBrincat said. “And you know where we’re at. (Making the playoffs) isn’t necessarily easy, but it’s definitely possible.”
Is it, though? Even if Montreal doesn’t get another point – a highly implausible outcome – the Red Wings would need to accumulate at least seven from the final eight games. This is a team that’s garnered nine points (4-11-1) from the past 16 games. Detroit hasn’t won as many as two games in a row since Feb. 23-25.
Discussing the team’s struggles, captain Dylan Larkin was brutally honest in his assessment.
“I wouldn’t say it’s the last 10 games,” Larkin said. “It’s been an ongoing thing all year. And in tighter games, your weaknesses kind of get exposed a little more.”
As the games have grown tougher, the playoffs have gotten further away for the Red Wings.
Optimists will suggest that this weekend is Detroit’s last stand. Realists will admit it feels much more like Weekend At Bernie’s.
