Puck Drop: 7:00 PM ET
Location: Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
TV: BSDET, ATTSN
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Penguins SBNation Site: PensBurgh
Welp, this season quickly unraveled, didn’t it?
It was just about a month ago the Red Wings looked prime to fight for a playoff spot. A couple of injuries, bad losses, and trades later, the Wings are just fighting for any sort of positivity.
The Wings have lost 12 of their last 15 games, including Saturday’s hapless 3-0 loss to the Flyers. That loss dropped the Wings record to 31-32-9, the first time all season the Wings have had more regulation losses than wins.
With playoffs out of the question, the Red Wings still need to find something to play for, and effing up the playoff chances of their old Finals rivals may be that “something.” The Pens, who haven’t missed the playoffs since 2006, are barely clinging to the East’s final wildcard spot. The fact that the Penguins have been this mid despite great years from Crosby, Malkin, and Letang is a sign of the team’s severe depth issues, and an indication this franchise is facing some rough years when that trio retires.
Still, in these final few weeks of the season, the Wings’ focus should be on the Wings. There are young players who need to continue their game-by-game growth, other players looking to secure a long-term place in the Wings’ rebuild, and a trio of goaltenders with something to prove. There’s absolutely no reason to sleepwalk through the rest of the season.