Photo: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
After a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday, the Detroit Red Wings have been officially eliminated from playoff contention in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which begin April 8 across the networks of NBC. It was only their 63rd game of the season.
It marks the earliest elimination in the league since the Ottawa Senators were eliminated in their 63rd game of the 1995-96 season.
Red Wings are eliminated from playoff contention in their 63rd game of the season.
It’s the earliest elimination in the NHL since the Ottawa Senators were eliminated in Game #63 of the 1995-96 season.
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 22, 2020
The Trade Deadline is set for Monday at 3 P.M. ET and Detroit is the first team to be mathematically eliminated since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2003-04.
Red Wings are the first team to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention prior to the trade deadline since the 2003-04 Penguins#SNTrade
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) February 22, 2020
The Red Wings have had an unfortunate season, going 15-44-4 and picking up only 34 points, which is 15 points less than the struggling Los Angeles Kings. They have stayed at the bottom of the Atlantic Division and the league for the majority of the year. Their -108 goal differential is the worst in the NHL. That is a 63 goal margin between the second-worst Ottawa Senators.
Additional Stats
Goals Against: 236 (31st)
GF/GP: 2.00 (31st)
GA/GP: 3.73 (31st)
Power-Play: 14.7% (29th)
Penalty Kill: 75% (29th)
Shots/GP: 27.3 (31st)
The Capitals host the Red Wings on March 12 and visit the Motor City on March 28. They defeated Detroit on November 30 by a score of 5-2 at Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings begin a three-game homestand Sunday night against the Calgary Flames.
By Della Young
It’s beyond me how a team can perform as poorly as the Red Wings have for as long as they have–and therefore having access to premium talent in the draft, yet not win…They’ve been weak and incompetent since 2008–the last time they won a Cup. I miss the Yzerman\Fedorov years during the late 90’s when they were a strong club…On the other hand, other teams have fared even worse than Detroit has over the same time span, so…
Clifford
Sta. Monica