The Detroit Red Wings have hit the crucial part of what has been a very successful season to this point. They are in third place in the Atlantic Division with 77 points, and that puts them inside the playoff structure. The Red Wings are fighting to get into the postseaason for the first time since 2016.
However, the job is not done yet and there is still plenty of time for the Red Wings to lose their position if they don't finish the season on a positive note. They are 2-3-1 in their last six games, and that includes back-to-back home losses to the Vegas Golden Knights (in overtime) and the Florida Panthers.
In the loss to the Panthers, star center and captain Dylan Larkin twisted his knee and suffered a lower body injury. While he was able to skate off the ice following a third-period fall, he was grimacing and moved directly into the locker room. The Red Wings announced Saturday that Larkin would not be in the lineup for Sunday's road game against the New Jersey Devils.
That's clearly a significant blow to the Red Wings, as Larkin is the team's third-leading scorer behind Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat. The 29-year-old veteran center has scored 28 goals and 27 assists, and he is clearly one of the players that head coach Todd McLellan is counting on for leadership and scoring in the final weeks of the season.
“He'll need some time to recover,” McLellan said, per NHL.com. “I can't give you a timeline on that right now, but he will be out (at New Jersey). As far as I know he'll come on the trip. We'll see how it goes day by day.”
