{"id":527506,"date":"2026-03-28T13:13:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T13:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/527506\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T13:13:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T13:13:43","slug":"major-playoff-implications-in-red-wings-matchup-vs-flyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/527506\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Playoff Implications in Red Wings Matchup vs Flyers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s NHL Predictions feature two teams looking to claw their way back into a Wild Card spot as the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs draw nearer. The Detroit Red Wings<\/a> once again looked like they were slipping in March. However, a big win on Friday over the Buffalo Sabres has them once again knocking on the door. As for the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a>, they are clinging onto hope and are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, and every minute counts.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions, with the Red Wings and Flyers<\/p>\n

Season Series: 0-0-0<\/p>\n

Puck Drop: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/a>: ABC<\/p>\n

The Red Wings are so used to collapsing in March that it almost feels like it\u2019s routine to see them one point behind the New York Islanders<\/a> for the second Wild Card spot after entering the month entrenched as one of the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference. On Friday, Alex DeBrincat<\/a> (three points), Patrick Kane<\/a> (two points), and Moritz Seider<\/a> (two points) had other ideas, and the Wings have decided to keep things interesting as March begins to fade into April.<\/p>\n

The Flyers need every point they can muster, but they\u2019re coming off a phenomenal blowout win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. That kind of momentum will carry them as they seek to narrow the gap between themselves and the Wings.<\/p>\n

Eastern Conference Wild Card Standings<\/p>\n

Team \u2013 GP \u2013 Pts \u2013 RW<\/p>\n

BOS \u2013 72 \u2013 88 \u2013 29
\nNYI \u2013 73 \u2013 87 \u2013 27
\nOTT \u2013 72 \u2013 86 \u2013 32
\nDET \u2013 72 \u2013 86 \u2013 28
\nPHI \u2013 71 \u2013 82 \u2013 22<\/p>\n

As the standings show, the stakes are at a season-high for both teams. While not impossible, it won\u2019t be easy for the Flyers to bounce back if they lose on Saturday night. As for the Wings, they no longer control their destiny, and they need to see Boston, New York, and Ottawa lose on Saturday if they want to end the evening in one of those two Wild Card spots.<\/p>\n

Biggest Question Mark Facing the Red Wings<\/p>\n

On Friday night, John Gibson<\/a> was electric, allowing just two goals and posting a .933 save percentage. If called on, will he keep up the same incredible performance he gave everyone on Friday? With Cam Talbot<\/a> not looking like he\u2019s 100 percent and rookie Michal Postava<\/a> filling in as the backup netminder on Friday night, there is uncertainty facing the Wings goalies at such a pivotal time.<\/p>\n

The good news is that Talbot looks like he may be good to go<\/a>, which would give the Red Wings better insurance if they started Gibson on back-to-back nights. In a game that will help decide the Eastern Conference\u2019s playoff picture, experience in the crease is mandatory.<\/p>\n

Credit Image: Andrew J. Kramer\/CSM via ZUMA Wire<\/p>\n

Flyers Getting Hot at the Right Time<\/p>\n

The Flyers have outscored opponents 11-5 in their past three contests, and are a healthy 8-3-1 in March. Philadelphia has also spent the entire season playing a defence-first game with stability in the net thanks to Dan Vladar\u2019s breakout campaign.<\/p>\n

This is a perfect storm for a team playing against a group coming off a three-goal win in the Red Wings. Should the Flyers once again put up a strong defensive performance as they have in recent contests, they will stick around as serious contenders once April is in full force.<\/p>\n

NHL Predictions<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a nationally-televised game between two teams looking to put themselves in the best positions to play hockey in the second half of April. Both groups have shown life in recent contests, so it should surprise nobody if this one turns into a high-scoring contest.<\/p>\n

Red Wings 5 \u2013 Flyers 4<\/p>\n

Prop Bets<\/p>\n

For goal scorers, Alex DeBrincat and Owen Tippett<\/a> look like they\u2019re raring to take over games. DeBrincat scored in Friday\u2019s win over the Sabres and Tippett has two goals in his past five games.<\/p>\n

Main Photo by Scott Grau\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions; some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s NHL Predictions feature two teams looking to claw their way back into a Wild Card spot as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":527507,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5112],"tags":[39097,1468,5,4,1467,56,40536,5205],"class_list":{"0":"post-527506","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia-flyers","8":"tag-detroit-red-wings-predictions","9":"tag-flyers","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-philadelphia","13":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","14":"tag-philadelphia-flyers-predictions","15":"tag-philadelphiaflyers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116306984107456460","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527506","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=527506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/527507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=527506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=527506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=527506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}