Red Wings eliminated, done in by scoring issues, inconsistent goaltending

The Detroit Red Wings failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh straight season.

They were eliminated from contention Thursday when they lost to the Buffalo Sabres 7-6 in a shootout, combined with the Florida Panthers' 7-2 win against the Ottawa Senators and the New York Islanders' 6-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Detroit qualified for the playoffs 25 straight seasons from 1991-2016, winning the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008.
Here's a look at what happened this season for the Red Wings and why things could be better in 2023-24:

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents:Pius Suter, F; Adam Erne, F; Alex Chiasson, F; Jordan Oesterle, D; Robert Hagg, D; Mark Pysyk, D; Alex Nedeljkovic, G; Magnus Hellberg, G
Potential restricted free agents: Joe Veleno, F; Matt Luff, F; Gustav Lindstrom, D
Potential 2023 Draft picks: 10

What went wrong

February fade: The Red Wings were on a 7-1-0 run and were tied for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference entering their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 25. But they lost that game 3-0, and then lost back-to-back games to the Ottawa Senators by a combined score of 12-3 on Feb. 27-28. That prompted them to sell ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3, with forwards Oskar Sundqvist (Minnesota Wild), Jakub Vrana (St. Louis Blues) and Tyler Bertuzzi (Boston Bruins), and defenseman Filip Hronek (Vancouver Canucks) each departing. General manager Steve Yzerman said the Ottawa losses indicated Detroit has a long way to go. The Red Wings are 7-12-2 since Feb. 25.
Scoring struggles: The Red Wings' biggest issue is a lack of high-end talent. They don't have anyone in the top 25 in scoring in the NHL and average 3.00 goals per game, 21st in the League. It didn't help that forward Robby Fabbri was limited to 28 games because of injuries or that Vrana was unable to make an impact. He spent time in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League this season and had two points (one goal, one assist) in five games for the Red Wings before he was traded to the Blues on March 3. He has 12 points (nine goals, three assists) in 17 games with St. Louis.
Inconsistent goaltending: Ville Husso has had good stretches, but he's 26-19-7 with a 3.01 goals-against average and .899 save percentage in 53 games. The Red Wings haven't had a solid backup either. Magnus Hellberg is 4-8-1 with a 3.26 GAA and .887 save percentage in 16 games after being claimed off waivers from the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 3, and Alex Nedeljkovic is 5-6-2 with a 3.56 GAA and .895 save percentage in 14 games. Detroit's 5-on-5 save percentage is .909, tied for 20th in the NHL.

Reasons for optimism

Dylan Larkin: The Red Wings signed Larkin to an eight-year, $69.6 million contract ($8.7 million average annual value) March 1, keeping their captain from becoming an unrestricted free agent. Larkin leads Detroit in goals (32), assists (46) and points (78). The 26-year-old has set an NHL career high in points, and it's 24 more than David Perron, who is second on the Red Wings with 54 points. He's tied his NHL career high in goals and is one assist from matching his career best. Larkin was born in Waterford, Michigan, about 40 minutes north of Detroit, and is committed to the Red Wings amid the rebuild.
Young players:DefensemanMoritz Seider, the No. 6 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year last season. He has continued to develop into a beast on the blue line this season and turned 22 on Thursday. Forward Lucas Raymond, the No. 4 pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, reached 100 points in the NHL with the second of his three assists Thursday. At age 21 years, 9 days, he became the third youngest player to reach 100 points for Detroit, behind Yzerman (19 years, 174 days, on Oct. 30, 1984) and Gordie Howe (20 years, 350 days, on March 16, 1949). Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, the No. 6 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, and forward Marco Kasper, the No. 8 pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, each made his NHL debut late this season.
Draft picks:The Red Wings have 28 picks in the draft in the next three years, including five first-round picks, five in the second round and five in the fourth. Yzerman stressed that the Red Wings must make good decisions with those picks, and that includes looking for opportunities to acquire current NHL players with them. Otherwise, the Red Wings will select players in the draft and hope they turn into NHL players. Ultimately, they need to find difference-makers who can form the core of a consistent contender.