Facing pressure to secure a playoff spot, the Detroit Red Wings suffered a home regulation loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.
The 3-2 loss came at the worst possible time, against a team dealing with significant injuries, and dropped Detroit further down in the standings below the playoff line.
Even though Detroit still has 11 games remaining and the Eastern Conference playoff race has been prone to change on a nightly basis, this latest loss has made fans concerned that history is going to repeat itself. This latest loss, feeling like an embodiment of the recent up-and-down play — Detroit has gone 3-5-2 in its last 10 games — also has some calling for franchise icon Steve Yzerman to be removed from his position as vice president and general manager.
It seemed as if the Red Wings had a playoff-caliber roster
After missing the playoffs for the ninth straight season in 2024-25, most experts felt a team led by Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane, Moritz Seider, Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond had enough to break the longest drought without a postseason appearance in franchise history and the longest ever for an Original Six team.
But despite Kane showing he still has something left, Larkin stepping up to help Team USA win a gold medal, Seider contending for the Norris Trophy and DeBrincat and Raymond both enjoying solid seasons, the Red Wings are on the verge of another spring collapse and the team’s 10th consecutive year without playoff hockey in a city that brought back its moniker of “Hockeytown” to center ice in hopes that would become a positive omen.