{"id":486292,"date":"2026-03-05T04:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T04:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/486292\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T04:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T04:58:11","slug":"red-wings-improvements-flaws-on-display-detroit-hockey-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/486292\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings Improvements, Flaws on Display \/ Detroit Hockey Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

The storyline during Wednesday\u2019s 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights played out as symbolic of the Detroit<\/a> Red Wings\u2019 season.<\/p>\n

Detroit coach Todd McLellan<\/a> described it as being two games within one, and he was not wrong in his assessment.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst half was excellent,\u201d McLellan said. \u201cWe were aggressive. We were direct. A lot of pucks went to the net, and we were able to get stuff back and maintain some o-zone time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then in the second half of the game, we started pulling up and playing cross ice too much. It never went to the net.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carrying a 3-1 lead into the final period of regulation, this tentative approach by the Red Wings allowed the advantage to evaporate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey came back to bite us,\u201d McLellan<\/a> said. \u201cA two-goal lead, you can\u2019t sit back. We thought we were gonna check our way to the points when it ended up costing us. So it better be a lesson learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Improved Red Wings Are Playoff Bound<\/p>\n

On the whole, the bigger picture isn\u2019t as devastating as blowing a two-goal lead on home ice might seem.<\/p>\n

\u201cStuff happens,\u201d Detroit forward Alex DeBrincat<\/a> said. \u201cWe got one point out of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a total failure. We just gotta come back and get two points on Friday (on home ice against Florida).\u201d<\/p>\n

Goal 32 for The Cat. pic.twitter.com\/lj5kxiFQPs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The Wings made a point, and so did DeBrincat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With 77 points, Detroit is third in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings are seven points clear of Columbus, the ninth-place team in the East.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to take an epic collapse for the Wings to fail to qualify for postseason play. Let\u2019s remember, this is a team that hasn\u2019t suffered consecutive regulation losses since Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n

That being said, it\u2019s going to take pretty close to a miracle for this team to go on an extended playoff run. Consistency and a killer instinct remain qualities that are proving elusive to this team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know what to do,\u201d Detroit forward Lucas Raymond<\/a> said. \u201cIt\u2019s just about executing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emmitt Finnie with a nice little shot for his 11th. pic.twitter.com\/u7YGe60ZUa<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The truth is that while the Red Wings are an improved squad, they remain a long way from being a Stanley Cup contender. And there\u2019s nothing that they can engineer between now and Friday\u2019s 3 p.m. ET NHL trade deadline that\u2019s going to change those cold, hard facts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve played some good hockey, some indifferent hockey,\u201d McLellan said. \u201cA bit of both tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that, in a nutshell, sums up who the Red Wings are. Better, but still not good enough.<\/p>\n

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