Every point matters in the Detroit Red Wings playoff push

Detroit Red Wings are getting no love from Vegas. The latest odds and playoff betting slates have been unkind to the Red Wings, but with a big weekend ahead, the team will go out and look to make some noise. Points are only going to help this team, and being able to grab 2 points whenever they can is a massive thing for this team. 

The Red Wings are in a tough spot going up against the teams in the Atlantic Division. They will have to fight and claw their way back to the postseason. They knew this, but now that it's crunch time, the reality is setting in. They will need to get hot and go on a run to make the final push.

Even though the Red Wings are not getting love from Vegas, the folks over at MoneyPuck should have Red Wings fans smiling. Per their model, Detroit has a 52.3% chance of making the playoffs in 2023-24, which is better than in December when that number was closer to 9% or so 

The Red Wings have taken some serious strides this year, and even if they're performing similarly to last year on paper, this year feels different, and for good reason. The Red Wings have games in hand and are in the hunt still.

For the Red Wings, at the time of writing, they are 29-20-6 with 64 points through 55 games. This is good for fifth in the Atlantic Division. They’re just one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have 65 points in fourth place within the Atlantic Division, as the two teams have leapfrogged between fourth/fifth for some time now.

However, catching the Toronto Maple Leafs to secure a Divisional auto-bid is highly unlikely. Auston Matthews is red-hot and has the Maple Leafs rolling to 70 points on the season in as many games as Detroit. Sure, a good stretch for the Red Wings could help them gain ground, but Matthews has 50+ goals already and is leading that charge with plenty of steam.

Though, as things stand, the Red Wings are holding on to the second wildcard spot and would sneak into the playoffs if the season ended today. They have to hold steady in this spot the rest of the way. They have a four-point cushion over the New Jersey Devils & New York Islanders. Detroit just has to finish strong.

It’ll be interesting to see if this is the year Detroit does it. There’s a chance they make the playoffs; however, the cards must fall the right way. Detroit’s going to contend and fight to hang onto this playoff spot. The Red Wings just need to find ways to keep putting points on the board.