Things aren’t looking as rosy as they once were for the Detroit Red Wings.
On Jan. 22, the Wings were in first place in the Atlantic Division and trending toward ending a nine-year playoff drought in a league where half the teams make the playoffs.
Two months later, the Wings − in Year 7 under the watch of general manager Steve Yzerman − have dropped to ninth in the Eastern Conference, currently one point behind the New York Islanders for the final wild-card spot.
The Wings are expected to get a boost from team captain and Olympic hero Dylan Larkin returning to the lineup for Tuesday night’s game against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena.
The Wings, fourth in the Atlantic, lead the Sens by one point with 12 games remaining. Their magic number to make the playoffs is 12.
NHL standings for Eastern Conference playoff picture
Atlantic Division
Top three teams make the playoffs:
Metropolitan Division
Top three teams make the playoffs:
Wild card
Top two teams make the playoffs:
According to PlayoffStatus, the Red Wings have a 60% chance to make the playoffs and a 19% chance to finish with one of the top three seeds in the division. They also have a 4% chance to make it to the Stanley Cup final and a 2% chance to win the Cup.
Red Wings game tonight
The Red Wings (38-24-8) host the Senators (37-24-9) at Little Caesars Arena (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit). The Wings are ninth in the East and the Senators are 10th. The top eight make the playoffs.
Red Wings schedule
The Red Wings have 12 games left in the regular season before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. The NHL regular season ends Thursday, April 16, 2026. The playoffs are expected to begin Saturday, April 18.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings playoff picture, NHL wild-card standings
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
