Thirty-something hours until fade to black.
The Detroit Red Wings are officially out of the playoff race, wrapping up the 2024-25 season with back-to-back road games in New Jersey tonight and Toronto tomorrow.
For some, it’s a merciful end, but it’s still disappointing to be without playoff hockey for a ninth-straight spring. It should feel like a missed opportunity for a Red Wings team that played at a playoff pace and held their own against some of the league’s best for much of the middle of the season. But it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and the opening and final legs of that race were much less smooth, so here we are.
Either way, these are the last two opportunities to watch live Red Wings hockey of any consequence for about six months, so I’ll be tuned in. Unfortunately, neither game means much to either side, so I’m sure we’ll see some regulars get rested, much like Dallas did the other night. Nearly every team already in a playoff position is locked into that spot, with a significant exception in the East. Unable to muster the win they’ve needed for about a week now to close the door on the Blue Jackets, Montreal now desperately needs a point tonight against Carolina, otherwise Columbus can earn a playoff berth with a regulation win tomorrow against the Islanders.
Seeing a division rival collapse can be amusing, but more than that, it would be an awesome story to see the Blue Jackets get in after the emotional year they’ve had. I’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on that tonight, as well as the Griffins game. Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard have joined the team, and while they won’t play tonight, chances for Friday are looking good, according to Bob Kaser.
As far as tonight’s Red Wings game, Todd McLellan said Petr Mrazek and Alex Lyon will each get one start to end the year, William Lagesson will play both games with a healthy defenseman sitting, and Elmer Soderblom will be unavailable for either game. The Devils recalled many players from AHL Utica and announced eight veterans will get the night off, though Dougie Hamilton is back from a lengthy injury absence. They have three former Red Wings slated to go tonight between Tomas Tatar, Daniel Sprong and Dennis Cholowski.
How to Watch
Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and TNT/TruTV (blacked out in-market)
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Red Wings Projected Lineup
Berggren – Larkin – Raymond
DeBrincat – Kasper – Kane
Rasmussen – Compher – Tarasenko
Smith – Motte – Watson
Edvinsson – Seider
Chiarot – Petry
Lagesson – Johansson/Holl
Mrazek or Lyon
Devils Projected Lineup
Haula – Mercer – Tatar
Hardman – Glass – Sprong
Foote – Dowling – McLaughlin
MacDermid – Lazar – Bastian
Dillon – Hamilton
Dumoulin – Casey
Cholowski – Nemec
Daws
Allen
