Detroit Red Wings have a defining stretch ahead with playoff hopes in mind

The Detroit Red Wings are going through the remainder of their year. They have a defining stretch of games coming up, and the Red Wings need to capitalize on their opportunity. They are not in the playoff picture right now but still have a chance to grab ahold of a wildcard spot.

However, the Detroit Red Wings are still in a spot where they could emerge from the 2023-24 season with the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings are teetering on the edge, and this next stretch of games will define how things go for them and could be the difference between the playoffs or not. Detroit feels they can do it, but they need to win some games down the stretch.

The issue is that it will be a tough stretch of games against formidable opponents. Detroit's got some tough teams on deck, who are in playoff positions, and it will leave them with a tall task to try and steal points wherever they can. If the season ended today (at the time of writing), the Red Wings would be two points short of a playoff spot.

Detroit trails the Washington Capitals by two points. The Capitals have a game in hand and scored a big point in their overtime win on Tuesday night. It's a tough spot, but the playoffs are not out of the picture yet. There's still hope, even though some folks have completely written things off.

Detroit Red Wings will decide their fate down the stretch.

Detroit already lost the first game of this week, falling in overtime to the Capitals. It could be viewed as the dagger of the season, but the Red Wings still have a chance. They need to start adding up some points and winning games if they want to sniff the postseason.

The Red Wings will take on Carolina next, who have locked up a playoff spot, second in the Metropolitan Division. After that, they've got the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and New York Rangers on deck. Both teams also have playoff spots lined up, making for a really tough scenario.

After that, they will take on the Buffalo Sabres, who have been on a roll. They have put some points up lately, so this could end up being a trap game, too. Buffalo put up seven goals on them a few weeks back. Detroit beat Buffalo soon after that, but still, that's got to be in their mind.

They'll get another chance to steal points from the Capitals. After that, it's a mix of Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Montreal twice down the stretch. Detroit needs things to go right and needs to find some points in these games. They're playing against six teams who are in playoff spots as of now.

The Red Wings will decide their own destiny. I know many of you have written the Red Wings off, but if they can string together some wins, play some quality hockey, and put their head down and compete, the playoffs are not off the table. It does feel possible and feels like they will be able to accomplish this; it will take some gritty efforts down the road.

The season's not over yet. Some folks have written the team off, but it's not over until the fat lady sings.