Red Wings lose ground after consecutive losses to Blue Jackets: 5 thoughts

Typically, the hype surrounding the NHLs Stadium Series games is about the spectacle of NHL hockey in an outdoor setting, in front of a crowd four times the size of an NHL arena.

But for Saturdays game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets, the stakes were a whole lot bigger.

The two teams entered the game tied for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and had just met two days earlier in Detroit, where Columbus had cruised to a 5-2 win.

Advertisement With the calendar turning to March, the trade deadline on the horizon and a brutally hard closing schedule, too, a win at Ohio Stadium would have gone a long way toward helping the Red Wings stay ahead in a wild-card race one that includes seven teams within 7 points of one another, all competing for two spots.

Instead, the Red Wings dropped a second straight game at the hands of the Blue Jackets after a controversial no-call directly preceding a go-ahead goal in the final three minutes.

As a result, Columbus hurdled over Detroit in the standings.

Five thoughts on Detroits 5-3 loss Saturday: 1.

Lets start with the no-call.

With less than 2:30 remaining in a tie game, Columbus Justin Danforth was chasing a lobbed puck through the neutral zone, with both of Detroits defensemen Simon Edvinsson and Albert Johansson back defending.

The puck dropped right in between the three of them, and when Edvinsson went to play the body on Danforth to box him out, Danforth lifted Edvinssons stick.

But in doing so, his stick caught Edvinsson in the face.

That sent Edvinsson spinning into Johansson and sprung Danforth in all alone for a shot on goal and then a rebound, which he put past Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot for what would be the game winner.

JUSTIN DANFORTH GWG He plays hero at #StadiumSeries for the @BlueJacketsNHL ! pic.twitter.com/45dD86eHnQ NHL (@NHL) March 2, 2025 There was a referee with what appeared to be a perfect sight line just a few feet away, so why he opted against a penalty there is a mystery.

But regardless, the goal put Columbus back on top just one minute after Detroit had tied the score and ultimately decided the game.

The Red Wings pulled their goalie for an extra skater soon after, at which point Adam Fantilli delivered the dagger.

2.

As much as the no-call is the dominant storyline, it was hardly the sole reason Detroit lost the game.

Even on Danforths goal, theres plenty else to nitpick.

That starts with Edvinssons and Johanssons being so close together on the puck and extends to the crease, where Talbot appeared to have a decent chance to absorb the initial shot rather than allowing the rebound that ultimately burned him.

Advertisement Theres a fine line to walk there, of course, especially in cold outdoor conditions, but it wasnt a banner day in net for Talbot, who gave up four goals on 20 shots.

Columbus Elvis Merzlikins stopped 43 of 46.

This had been a 1-1 game until late in the second period when the Blue Jackets struck twice in 32 seconds to put themselves in a commanding position.

Columbus first goal was a power-play goal, coming on the only penalty Detroit took all night with the Red Wings penalty kill once again showing up as an Achilles heel.

After that, Columbus enforcer Mathieu Olivier came from behind the net to jam a puck past Talbot, who got caught leaning against the opposite post.

And though the Red Wings top line of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper was certainly better Saturday than it was Thursday after which coach Todd McLellan called out Larkin as missing the trio was held off the scoresheet once again, despite Larkins and Raymonds each registering five shots on goal.

3.

As the shots on goal suggest, this was a much better outing for the Red Wings overall than that Thursday contest.

But that means little with the same outcome in the standings.

Detroit entered this two-game set with a chance to put distance between itself and the Blue Jackets and the rest of that crowded Eastern field with a pair of wins, and instead it finds itself highly vulnerable.

Its remaining schedule is the toughest in the league, and 13 of its final 22 games are on the road, including five of its final six.

Thats a tough position for general manager Steve Yzerman to be in with the trade deadline looming Friday.

Last year, in a similar spot, the Red Wings largely sat out the deadline, trading away depth forward Klim Kostin and otherwise leaning on their internal depth down the stretch.

Advertisement Edvinsson was the key call-up, and he played well, giving himself a springboard to a major role this season.

There isnt an Edvinsson-level call-up available to the Red Wings this time around, but, notably, Carter Mazur is back from an early-season injury and picking up steam for AHL Grand Rapids.

The gritty 22-year-old winger has four goals in his last three games and 9 points in his last eight.

He was also a force in last years AHL playoffs.

Could he be a factor for Detroit down the stretch? If there is a trade addition to be made, the most logical would be on defense, where Detroit is thin.

A veteran upgrade there would make sense, and Detroit has an extra third-round pick in the 2025 draft.

At the same time, that kind of move might have been easier to make if Detroit had a firmer grasp on a playoff spot.

Well see how Yzerman decides to play this one.

4.

There will be a temptation to compare this to the teams two losses in Ottawa just before the trade deadline, after which the Red Wings became a seller and traded away Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Hronek.

The scars of last season remain as well, when Detroit collapsed in March after an injury to Larkin.

But Id hesitate to draw too close a parallel to those teams and circumstances just yet.

Those games in Ottawa werent just two losses that hurt Detroit in the standings they exposed the Red Wings lack of readiness for the physicality that late-season hockey demands .

Detroits Thursday showing was certainly flat, but it responded fairly well Saturday and competed hard, even though it doesnt have anything tangible to show for it.

And even last year, when a disastrous March doomed the Red Wings, Detroit still looked like it had taken a step forward when Larkin was in the lineup.

Time will tell if this years team is ready to take one more step and get into the postseason.

It certainly has its work cut out for it.

But this pair of losses doesnt have the same resounding feel as the damning 2023 performance in Ottawa.

Advertisement 5.

If theres a positive coming out of the weekend, its Alex DeBrincat and really the performance of Detroits second line.

That line has been a source of intrigue after Andrew Copp was ruled out for the season , but JT Compher has stepped in nicely to center DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, both of whom scored at even strength Saturday.

Kane had 3 points, and DeBrincat scored twice, with his goal a power-play tally.

DeBrincat has been red-hot out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break and is quietly having an excellent season.

His two-goal game Saturday brought him to 29 on the season, good for the team lead and putting him on pace to threaten 40 goals.

McLellan raved about him after Thursdays game.

You guys watch how competitive he is on every puck, in every situation, McLellan said.

Theres nothing he backs down from.

He plays in traffic.

Hes physical on offense, which means when hes got the puck hes hard to knock off.

He goes to dirty areas to score.

Those are important qualities to have for DeBrincat, who is 5 feet 8 and gives up size in virtually every battle and matchup he sees.

Detroit has needed more dirty area scoring in recent seasons, and McLellan is right that DeBrincat is providing it despite his frame.

His first goal Saturday was a case in point, withstanding a challenge from Ivan Provorov in the crease to put home a pass from Kane.

Its not reasonable to expect DeBrincat to keep scoring a goal per game (as he has over his past eight), but if he can find those kinds of goals in the blue paint, itll go a long way as this playoff push continues to ramp up.

The Red Wings certainly cost themselves ground with the pair of losses this week to Columbus.

But they remain in the second wild-card spot as of Saturday night right in the thick of the race.

(Photo of James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Kane: Jason Mowry / Getty Images).

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