If you’re wondering why it’s been nine years since the Detroit Red Wings made the NHL playoffs, there’s no need to peruse the stats or dive into the analytics.
Just watch a replay of Saturday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
This game would be Exhibit A in terms of why the club hasn’t been a postseason participant for so long, and probably won’t be again this season.
With a little over 22 minutes of regulation time left to play, Detroit was holding a 4-1 lead.
“That should be the best time to play hockey,” Red Wings forward Patrick Kane said. “You just shut it down. You do your job defensively, and you try to give them nothing, and you’re gonna get your chances the other way.”
Instead, the Red Wings gave all the chances to Buffalo.
Good teams don’t let that happen. Playoff-bound teams don’t let that happen.
That it keeps happening to the Red Wings is all you need to know about this club’s chances of being there at the end this season, still standing with a chance at the Stanley Cup.
“I don’t even know if you could write a script like that,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “Until this group figures out what’s important at certain times of the game, we’re going to have those nights.
“Simple as that.”
Red Wings Come Apart At The Seams Yet Again
The game plan when holding a three-goal edge as the third period nears isn’t complicated. You keep things simple. A team shouldn’t completely stop playing and sit back, but taking unnecessary chances must never happen.
Instead, the Wings kept chasing more offense, making high-risk plays. Ill-advised pinches by defensemen. Drop passes on the penalty kill.
“I’m not sure that at times we value or crave the shutdown part,” McLellan said. “I think it’s always about getting the next goal. And yes, it’d be nice to get the next goal, but preventing the next one is equally as important and sometimes even more timely.
“And I’m not sure that we’ve figured that out.”
At what point is enough enough for this hockey team? They’ve been surpassed by every other team in this town, almost being lapped by every other Detroit team now that the Pistons are, *ahem*, firing on all cylinders.
When will the Red Wings grow up? What will it take? pic.twitter.com/ew0O3goab9
— 🍂🦃(Thankful) 〽️ario🦃🍂 |#BLM (@NotLuigi89) November 16, 2025
At this point, based on the evidence, we can’t be sure that they will ever figure it out.
It wasn’t like they were surrendering a three-goal lead to the firepower of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. This was the Sabres, the only team with a longer playoff drought than Detroit.
Blowing a game to them is like losing the lead in a Shakespearean play to Carrot Top.
“Tonight was self-inflicted for sure,” forward Lucas Raymond said. “We gave up chances that you’re not supposed to do in the third period with a two-goal lead.”
The next Red Wings home game is Peanuts tribute night, which seems appropriate. The Red Wings continue to be Lucy holding the football. Their fanbase is Charlie Brown.
On this date in 1951, Charlie Brown fell for Lucy Van Pelt’s football gag for the first time pic.twitter.com/58wc3KjWWe
— 80sTees (@80stees) November 14, 2025
When this team got off to a 5-1 start and was 7-3 through 10 games, you thought this year was going to be different.
Welcome back to a rerun of your nightmare.