Detroit couldn’t get it done in Philadelphia to win their own game and go into the playoffs but a little help from their biggest rival did help.
Chicago downed Calgary 4-1, putting the Red Wings into the playoffs. Calgary’s unable to catch Detroit (although they can still catch Colorado, and ONLY Colorado) and that allows Detroit to solidify its playoff spot. The Calgary loss allowed both Detroit and Los Angeles to lock up their playoff spots. For Los Angeles, it’s their first appearance since 2001-2002.
The playoff berth is Detroit’s 19th consecutive–the longest of any professional sports team–and eases any of the worries that the surfaced all season long. When the dust from the injuries settled, the Wings were able to turn it around and started to take charge of their own path to the playoffs.
You could call it backing into the playoffs if you want but nevertheless, they got it done and are in for the 19th straight season. For a team that looked like it would struggle to stay above .500 all season, the playoffs are a welcome sigh of relief.
