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As tough as March was for the Detroit Red Wings — they won only four times in 14 games — April projects to be crueler yet.
Their only home games, among nine total between now and the regular season finale on April 17, are against the Carolina Hurricanes (April 4), Florida Panthers (April 6) and Dallas Stars (April 14) — all elite teams, and in the case of the Panthers and Stars, still teams with something to play for in the standings. (The Hurricanes are pretty much locked in as the second seed in the Metropolitan Division.)
The Wings (34-33-6) were off Sunday; they kick off the April slate Tuesday when they visit the St. Louis Blues, who are jockeying for position in the wild-card spots in the Western Conference.
RED WINGS MAILBAG: When is goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa going to play?
After the home stand next weekend, the Wings play five of their last six games on the road. They head to Montreal on April 8 — that's going to be a game with huge significance, because the Canadiens are one of the four teams currently between the Wings and the playoff picture in the East. With the Ottawa Senators seeming to have a pretty good hold on the first wild-card spot, it looks like it'll be down to the second wild-card berth for the Wings — and the Canadiens, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders are right there in the mix.
After Montreal, the Wings head due south to play the Panthers on April 10 and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 11. Those two teams and the Toronto Maple Leafs are in an ultra-tight battle for the top two seeds in the Atlantic; that matters because it means starting with home ice.
From there, it's back to Little Caesars Arena for the home finale. The Stars already have clinched a playoff spot, but they could push for the top spot in the Central Division — and the Western Conference, which would avoid a first-round matchup with the Colorado Avalanche. Then it's back on the road to play the Devils in New Jersey on April 16, and immediately after that game, head to Toronto for the finale on April 17. The Devils may be locked into third in the Metro by then, allowing them to rest their star players, but it's doubtful the Leafs will be in the same position to let up in their race for playoff positioning.
So that's where the Wings are at as they greet April: At 74 points and with 18 left on the table, they can max out at 92 points — and that's not remotely realistic. They're five points behind where they were at this point last season — which ended with chasing a playoff spot all the way till Game 82 only to endure the cruel blow of missing out on the playoffs by a tiebreaker.
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings playoff chase: Tough April schedule may doom them
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Their only home games, among nine total between now and the regular season finale on April 17, are against the Carolina Hurricanes (April 4), Florida Panthers (April 6) and Dallas Stars (April 14) — all elite teams, and in the case of the Panthers and Stars, still teams with something to play for in the standings. (The Hurricanes are pretty much locked in as the second seed in the Metropolitan Division.)
The Wings (34-33-6) were off Sunday; they kick off the April slate Tuesday when they visit the St. Louis Blues, who are jockeying for position in the wild-card spots in the Western Conference.
RED WINGS MAILBAG: When is goalie prospect Sebastian Cossa going to play?
After the home stand next weekend, the Wings play five of their last six games on the road. They head to Montreal on April 8 — that's going to be a game with huge significance, because the Canadiens are one of the four teams currently between the Wings and the playoff picture in the East. With the Ottawa Senators seeming to have a pretty good hold on the first wild-card spot, it looks like it'll be down to the second wild-card berth for the Wings — and the Canadiens, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders are right there in the mix.
After Montreal, the Wings head due south to play the Panthers on April 10 and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 11. Those two teams and the Toronto Maple Leafs are in an ultra-tight battle for the top two seeds in the Atlantic; that matters because it means starting with home ice.
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From there, it's back to Little Caesars Arena for the home finale. The Stars already have clinched a playoff spot, but they could push for the top spot in the Central Division — and the Western Conference, which would avoid a first-round matchup with the Colorado Avalanche. Then it's back on the road to play the Devils in New Jersey on April 16, and immediately after that game, head to Toronto for the finale on April 17. The Devils may be locked into third in the Metro by then, allowing them to rest their star players, but it's doubtful the Leafs will be in the same position to let up in their race for playoff positioning.
So that's where the Wings are at as they greet April: At 74 points and with 18 left on the table, they can max out at 92 points — and that's not remotely realistic. They're five points behind where they were at this point last season — which ended with chasing a playoff spot all the way till Game 82 only to endure the cruel blow of missing out on the playoffs by a tiebreaker.
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.
Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings playoff chase: Tough April schedule may doom them
Continue reading...
