‘You control your own destiny’: Red Wings not backing down from challenges, intensity during push for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs berth

DETROIT -- Although they woke up on the outside looking in at the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs picture in the Eastern Conference for the first time since Dec. 7, the Detroit Red Wings reiterated after Monday morning’s practice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center that their only focus is on playing to their identity and controlling what they can control.

“You can look at the scores, you can hope for things and be mad about it, but at the end of the day we’re still in some way or another, you got to think with 12 games left, you control your own destiny,” Patrick Kane said. “So, play the right way and try to get as many points and wins as possible. I think you take the onus on the group in here itself and make sure we get it done, not hope for anything else as far as scores and different things like that.”

Ahead of Tuesday night’s NHL slate, the Red Wings (38-24-8; 84 points) were just one point back of the New York Islanders (40-26-5; 85 points) for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot and held a game in hand, only two behind of the Boston Bruins (39-23-8; 86 points) for the first Wild-Card spot and also two back of the Montreal Canadiens (38-21-10; 86 points) for third place in the Atlantic Division.

Not only that, but the objects in Detroit’s mirror – and really, all the clubs in the Eastern Conference still trying to punch their tickets to postseason – might even be closer than they appear, as the Ottawa Senators (37-24-8; 83 points), Philadelphia Flyers (34-23-12; 80 points) and Washington Capitals (35-27-9; 79 points) were all within six points of that second Wild-Card spot as of Tuesday morning. 

“While the other teams are winning, it’s our job to keep winning,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “So, we can watch all we want and fool around with schedules and models. Our job is to go play and take care of things ourselves, and that’s the approach we’re taking….[Players] are human. They’re going to look at the standings. They’re going to know who won last night, who didn’t at this time of the year. The pages are getting torn off the calendar quickly, but we’re just focused on our job and not what other teams are doing for or against us.”

When asked if the tightness of the standings adds more urgency, Kane said Detroit’s mindset hasn’t changed because that playoff-like mentality is already alive and well inside the dressing room.

“The feeling that going into every game is pretty much a must-win, that’s been going on for the past five, six, seven games,” Kane said. “That’s the way it’s felt around here for a little bit already.”

As Kane highlighted, they all know what’s at stake this deep into the month of March. So, it’s going to be essential, David Perron explained, that the Red Wings embrace the pressure of the regular season’s final few weeks with excitement rather than allowing it to feel like a heavy weight on their shoulders.

“That’s what we play for and there’s no other way around it,” Perron said. “You want to be in the mix. You want to be playing those big games at different times of the year, and here we are playing one of them. We got to find a way to get two points.”

Also discussing Detroit’s stretch-run approach, McLellan believes the mental state and energy level of his club are each in a good place.

“I feel that there’s a real focus for our group,” McLellan said. “They came to the rink today. Practices are hard at this time of the year because they’re anxious to get playing, but they were focused. They were attentive to what maybe we had to work on. And anything that we’ve addressed, we seem to apply it into the games so that’s been a good sign.”

Another encouraging sign was seeing captain Dylan Larkin (lower body) practice alongside Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård (undisclosed), who filled in for Lucas Raymond (maintenance day), on the top line and participate in some power-play drills on Monday morning.

Larkin, who has recorded the second-most goals (28) and third-most points (55) for Detroit this season, will be a game-time decision against the Senators at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

“Ever since he’s been down, it’s a big hole in the lineup and obviously as our leader, our captain, too,” Kane said of Larkin, who last played on March 6. “So, I think a lot of us wanted to play for him in some way or another to put us into a good enough spot where when he’s coming back, we’re still in the thick of things.”