The Detroit Red Wings are running out of time to steer the ship back to a playoff course.

With only nine games left in the season, the Red Wings’ odds of making the playoffs have dropped below 50%, according to PlayoffStatus, as a Saturday loss to the Philadelphia Flyers erased the momentum from their surprise road win against the Buffalo Sabres. And now two points below the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, Detroit no longer controls its own playoff destiny.

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But a path to the playoffs still remains for the Red Wings, even if it looks a bit more treacherous than it did at the beginning of March.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider (53) skates with the puck in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider (53) skates with the puck in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) skates with the puck chased by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Faulk (72) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) makes a save in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) skates with the puck defended by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55) and Detroit Red Wings left wing J.T. Compher (37) fight for position in front of goaltender Dan Vladar (80) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) makes a save in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) makes a save in front of Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) takes a shot on Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings center Mason Appleton (22) skates with the puck defended by Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) takes a shot on Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings left wing David Perron (57) and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) fight for position in front of goaltender Dan Vladar (80) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) gets a new skate blade in the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates with the puck in the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) gets set to face off in the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

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Detroit Red Wings hunt playoffs vs Philadelphia Flyers at home

Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates with the puck in the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Here is how the playoff picture is developing for the struggling Wings.

NHL standings for Eastern Conference playoff pictureAtlantic Division

Top three teams make the playoffs:

Tampa Bay Lightning, 98 pts, 73 GP.

Buffalo Sabres, 98 pts, 73 GP.

Montreal Canadiens, 94 pts, 73 GP.

Boston Bruins, 92 pts, 74 GP.*

Ottawa Senators, 86 pts, 73 GP.

Metropolitan Division

Top three teams make the playoffs:

Carolina Hurricanes, 98 pts, 73 GP.

New York Islanders, 89 pts, 74 GP.

Pittsburgh Penguins, 88 pts, 73 GP.

Columbus Blue Jackets, 88 pts, 74 GP.*

Philadelphia Flyers, 86 pts, 73 GP.

*Currently in wild-card position.

Wild card

Top two teams make the playoffs:

Boston Bruins, 92 pts, 74 GP.

Columbus Blue Jackets, 88 pts, 74 GP.

Ottawa Senators, 86 pts, 73 GP.

Detroit Red Wings, 86 pts, 73 GP.

Philadelphia Flyers, 86 pts, 73 GP.

Washington Capitals, 83 pts, 74 GP.

According to PlayoffStatus, the Red Wings have a 43% chance to make the playoffs and a 3% chance to finish with one of the top three seeds in the division. They also have a 3% chance to make the Stanley Cup Final and a 1% chance to win the Cup.

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Red Wings next game

The Red Wings (39-26-8) visit the Penguins (36-21-16) on Tuesday, March 31, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh in what could be a critical matchup in the playoff race. The Wings are 10th in the East and the Penguins are seventh. The top eight make the playoffs.

Red Wings schedule

The Red Wings have nine 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.

March 31: at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.

April 2: at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

April 4: at N.Y. Rangers, 12:30 p.m.

April 5: Minnesota, 1 p.m.

April 7: Columbus, 7 p.m.

April 9: Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

April 11: New Jersey, 5 p.m.

April 13: at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.

April 15: at Florida, 7 p.m.

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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings playoff odds and NHL wild-card standings