It’s a feel-good story indeed across Hockeytown when the Detroit Red Wings are playing some dynamic hockey. Dynamic hockey that they’re bound to keep up, right? Hey, right now, the Wings and head coach Todd McLellan are giving us every reason to believe, so feel free to let your guard down some.
Unfortunately, good hockey is just half the battle, because it’s not just about what you can do to best position yourself for a playoff berth, but other teams. And that’s where it gets rather disheartening.
That said, there are several threats to the Red Wings in their seemingly never-ending quest to end this playoff drought. But who are the biggest threats and which teams do the Wings need to worry less about at the moment? Let’s power rank them and find out who graces the No. 1 spot.
6 - Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets are enjoying a feel-good season, and nobody else in the NHL deserves one more. They’re setting the stage for what should be a strong future of wild card and top-three runs, but they still look like they’re a year away from becoming a major threat.
5 - New York Islanders
From down and out to up and up, the New York Islanders season continues to be a roller coaster. But until they get more consistent in the scoring realm, it’s tough to see the Isles superseding the Red Wings in the wild card hunt.
4 - New York Rangers
If the Red Wings don’t fight their way into the top three in the Atlantic, the Rangers are their biggest threat coming out of the Metropolitan Division. Yeah, they’re still a few points out from serious contention because of some poor play earlier this year, but this is a former Presidents’ Trophy-winning team that can get hot at any time.
3 - Boston Bruins
Nobody’s accusing the Bruins of being a great hockey team given some key issues. And the reason they’re ranked so high is that they play in the same division as the Wings. But with 60 points, they’re one win away and the Wings are one loss away from the script flipping at the moment. If there is some good news here, it’s that, as I write this, the Wings have two games in hand.
2 - Ottawa Senators
The Wings also have a game in hand against the Ottawa Senators, but wow, what a difference solid goaltending makes, whether or not it’s Linus Ullmark lining up in the crease. Overall, the Senators are one rung down from the Big Three in the Atlantic this season, but they’ve since more than proven that they can hang with anyone.
1 - Tampa Bay Lightning
Yep, just when you thought the tank was empty, here comes the Tampa Bay Lightning. At this point, Tampa looks like a team that can get up there with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.
And if they maximize their recent success and pull away from the Wings, it’ll leave Detroit to fight off the other teams mentioned here for a wild card spot. And that’s what makes Tampa so dangerous; they’re most likely to limit Detroit’s options.