The Detroit Red Wings were two minutes away from building momentum.
Instead, they blew a late 3-2 lead to the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and lost 4-3 after allowing two goals in just a couple minutes.
A missed clear by Simon Edvinsson and a weak defensive sequence involving Justin Faulk turned a potential win into another brutal March collapse.
Now the Red Wings are fighting to hold onto a wild card spot.
Detroit currently holds the first wild card position by just one point over the Boston Bruins, who also have a game in hand. Columbus is only three points back with a game in hand of their own, and Ottawa is surging with just one regulation loss in their last ten games.
To make matters worse, injuries are starting to pile up.
• Dylan Larkin was injured on a rush last Friday
• Andrew Copp left Tuesday night’s game with an injury
• A short-handed Red Wings roster ran out of gas late against Florida
Detroit did make moves at the trade deadline, adding Justin Faulk and bringing David Perron back, but the price was steep — including a first-round pick with no protection.
If the Red Wings continue sliding in March again, the worst-case scenario is suddenly becoming very real.
In this episode of Red Wings Rant, we break down:
• The collapse against Florida
• Whether the trade deadline moves actually improved the team
• The brutal reality of the wild card race
• Injuries to Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp
• Why depth players are becoming a major problem
• Detroit’s upcoming games against Tampa Bay and Dallas
With Tampa Bay on Thursday and Dallas on Saturday, the Red Wings may have to find a way to survive without two of their most important forwards.
The playoff race is tightening.
And the margin for error is disappearing fast.
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