Detroit Red Wings struggling without their captain once again amid 3-game skid

The Detroit Red Wings have dropped their last three games, and things are not looking pretty lately. The team has to figure something out if it wants to stay in the playoff hunt. The trade deadline is hours away, and the Red Wings may need to make a last-minute move.

However, one thing is certain with this Detroit Red Wings team—not having Dylan Larkin is a real problem. Larkin played in both of the Red Wings' two losses that started off this skid, but he missed Colorado's slaughter of Detroit on Tuesday night.

It's not the first time the Red Wings have been without Larkin this season, either. They missed some time after Ottawa Senators forward Matthieu Joseph's dirty hit, which really lit up the rivalry and left Larkin lying motionless on the ice.

He missed only a handful of games, but the Red Wings certainly struggled without their captain. He's missed seven games total on the year, and it's been quite problematic when he is not in the lineup. While he's only missed one game of this three-game skid, it does not bode well for a team clinging to life on their playoff hopes.

The Detroit Red Wings struggle without Dylan Larkin.

With 62 games played, the Red Wings have 72 points on the season. They're eight points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs and tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the wildcard spots in the Eastern Conference. Several Metropolitan division teams are also doing their best to stay in the hunt.

If this holds true, Larkin is slated to miss two weeks or about five games. That would mean Detroit has to snap out of its skid and kick things into gear, especially given how poorly the Red Wings have gone without Larkin in the past.

Larkin has played in 55 games for Detroit this season, scoring 26 goals and tallying 28 assists for 54 total points on the 2023-24 season. With playoff hopes in sight, Larkin being out certainly does not help this team stay in the hunt.

Right now, the team seems to be struggling to stay on track and move in the right direction. In a recent Detroit Free Press article, the message from the Red Wings players and staff seemed to focus on fighting the mental battle.

The challenges have not always been with the Red Wings in the team's forward core, but the team's defensemen have also struggled. The entire team needs to pick things up. Hopefully, a turnaround is in sight after three tough games and a bad loss without Larkin.