Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings remain alive in the playoff race at this point. The Red Wings have two wins in a row, having defeated the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers in their most recent contests. However, they remain six points behind their next opponent — the Montreal Canadiens — for the East's final Wild Card spot.

Larkin and the Red Wings once had a sizeable lead over other Wild Card contenders themselves. But they have had some horrific stretches since returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in late February. The Red Wings captain admitted that this final stretch has been stressful, though he also mentioned his team's lower points during the course of this season.

“It's a stressful time right now,” he said, via NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika. “But at Christmas it was … I mean, it was not good. It was bad. We struggled, and [it] felt like it was going to be the longest four months to the end of the season that could be possible, and we were just going to put our equipment on and go out there and play and suck it up.

“But we've battled, and we've had a lot of new faces in the lineup and a lot of young faces, and it's been exciting to see them come in and see how they play and see how they handle the pressure, see how they've grown in this time. There's so much difference from Christmas to now.

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“We're still in this, and that's because we didn't quit. We turned it around, and we showed that we can play in big games in pressure environments and win hockey games.”

The Red Wings have turned things around since hiring Todd McLellan as head coach. Detroit has shown a ton of progress on the ice, especially from where they began the season. This is especially apparent in younger players such as Marco Kasper and Albert Johansson.

However, the team finds itself in a tough spot. A loss to the Canadiens won't eliminate the Red Wings from playoff contention. However, it would certainly deal a significant blow to their chances of making the postseason.

The Canadiens and Red Wings are two of the NHL's most storied franchises. On Tuesday night, they renew their historic rivalry once again. This time, the stakes are high for both squads.