The Detroit Red Wings struggled with their captain, Dylan Larkin, out of the lineup with an injury. The Red Wings, who once had a secure spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and were competing for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, are on the outside looking in as they face the Ottawa Senators in a massive game on Tuesday night. However, with nearly all hope lost, Larkin emerged from the tunnel for warmups to give the Red Wings some added motivation.

The matchup with the Senators is Detroit's biggest game of the season. If Ottawa is able to beat them with both Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot out of the lineup, they'd surpass the Red Wings in the standings. With the heater that some of the Eastern Conference teams have been on, it'd be hard to see the Red Wings being able to dust themselves off and get back in the fight.

Article Continues Below

The mental swing between these teams of Ottawa losing Chabot and Detroit gaining Larkin is hard to ignore. If the Red Wings find a way to get the train back on the tracks and regain a playoff spot, it'll likely be because their emotional leader returned from his injury and led them there.

Dylan Larkin isn't just the emotional leader. He is also their second-leading goalscorer and third in points. The lineup looks much deeper with him down the middle, and with just 12 games remaining, Detroit will need all the help it can get. If Detroit falls apart down the stretch and misses the playoffs again, it won't be a pretty offseason for Steve Yzerman.