The month of March was not kind to the Detroit Red Wings. Over the past few seasons, they have lost way more games than they have won in March, and it has killed their momentum as they chase an elusive spot in the playoffs.
March is the part of the season to build momentum, not lose it. I wanted to see exactly how bad March has been to the Wings, so I looked up records for the past few seasons on hockeyreference.com to see the carnage.
Who could forget the disappointment last season as the Wings tied the Washington Capitals for the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot only to lose the tiebreaker on regulation wins? They had themselves in a decent spot to make the playoffs before going 3-9-2 in March. You could point to many different times in the season where they could have picked up one more point and made the playoffs, it wasn't just the poor play in March.
If they had only won any of the 11 losses it would have made the difference. They were not able to overcome the momentum lost in March, even with a great month of April, including some great wins in the last few games of the season.
The Detroit Red Wings give their fans March Madness again this season
In the 2022-23 season, the month of March was actually the best record that they have had in recent years, as they posted a 5-9-1 record. If you look at the end of February, it was worse than it looks. They had a three-game losing streak going at the end of February, including two brutal losses to the Ottawa Senators, which turned into a six-game losing streak before the trade deadline. This stretch definitely pushed the Wings into being sellers.
Before that losing streak, the Wings had won seven of eight games and looked to be on the way to the postseason. The momentum lost in March was never recovered, and April was another disappointing end to the season.
The Wings were not looking like playoff contenders in the 2021-22 season, but that didn't stop them from having another terrible month in March. That season, they posted a 3-8-3 record and made sure that they weren't getting into the playoffs and were sellers at the trade deadline. In the 2020-21 season, they also were not playoff contenders, and the 2019-20 season was cut short due to COVID. This shortened season probably saved the Wings from another embarrassing March.
It was looking hopeful that this season was going to be different with the surge from Todd McLellan taking over as head coach. As we know, this March did not turn out any better.
The Wings' performance in March this season has definitely driven their fans mad again. After a poor start to the season, they were on a hot streak after the coaching changes. They were well on their way to getting themselves into the playoffs this season and had a solid spot in the playoffs. This March started off badly when the Wings gave up the second of a pair of losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the stadium game. Another couple of tough home losses came to Carolina and Utah in games that they could have, and should have won.
The next loss to Washington was another game thrown away as they were in the game till they fell apart in the third period. After that, an even more disgusting loss was notched against the team I despise the most, the Ottawa Senators. They played a great game and totally got hosed by the refs at the end.
The losing streak finally ended with a big win against Buffalo, only to be followed up by another loss to Carolina. The 3-0 win that came next over Vegas showed some hope, even though Vegas was definitely not at its best.
The madness continued with a couple of blowout losses to Washington and Vegas over the next two games. A little hope came with an ugly win on the road against Utah, only to be crushed by the next two opponents in Colorado and Ottawa. The month actually ended on a high note as the Wings beat a floundering Boston team at home, keeping a shred of hope alive.
The only bright spot of the month is that the teams that are also in the running for the last playoff spot have also had a terrible March. There is still some bit of hope left, although that hope is fading fast.