Lightning Seek Strong Home Finish, Starting vs. Eliminated Red Wings

Tampa Bay looks to secure home-ice advantage in the playoffs as Detroit's postseason hopes come to an end.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 11:04pm

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A fractured, cubist-style painting depicting a hockey game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings, with the players and action broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes in vibrant blues, reds, and whites, conceptually representing the different stakes for the two teams in this final regular-season matchup.The Lightning and Red Wings meet for the final time this season, with Tampa Bay still fighting for home-ice advantage in the playoffs as Detroit's postseason hopes have come to an end.Chicago Today

The Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning meet for the final time this season, but the game will have very different implications for the two Atlantic Division foes. The Lightning (49-25-6, 104 points) are battling for home-ice advantage in the playoffs, while the Red Wings (41-30-9, 91 points) have been eliminated from postseason contention.

Why it matters

The Lightning are in a tight race for the Atlantic Division title and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Red Wings' playoff drought will extend to 10 seasons after failing to secure a postseason berth this year.

The details

The Lightning are coming off a 1-3-0 road trip but managed to end it on a high note with a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Defenseman Emil Lilleberg scored the game-winner with 95 seconds left. The Red Wings were eliminated from playoff contention after a 5-3 home loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, when Jesper Bratt broke a 3-3 tie late in the game.

  • The Lightning and Red Wings will meet on Monday night for their final regular-season matchup.
  • The Lightning will host the New York Rangers in their final game of the season on Wednesday.
  • The Red Wings will close out their season on the road against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.

The players

Jon Cooper

Head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Brandon Hagel

36-goal scorer for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Dylan Larkin

Captain of the Detroit Red Wings, who missed seven games in March due to injury.

Todd McLellan

Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.

Alex DeBrincat

Leads the Detroit Red Wings in goals (40) and points (83).

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What they’re saying

“We're a really emotional team, and sometimes it's tough to hold onto that for 82 games, especially what we've done this year. But at the end of the day, I thought once our emotion got into it, it seemed like we got something going.”

— Brandon Hagel

“We understand where we're slotted in here and probably need some help, but we do have a chance to get home ice. So there's still something to play for.”

— Jon Cooper, Head coach, Tampa Bay Lightning

“We did a lot of great things and put ourselves in a really good position. But when it gets tight, we come up short. We talked about it a lot this season and it happened again.”

— Dylan Larkin, Captain, Detroit Red Wings

“This is hard. It doesn't matter if you miss by five points or 20 points, but we were playing well enough until the last month or so.”

— Todd McLellan, Head coach, Detroit Red Wings

What’s next

The Lightning will host the New York Rangers in their final regular-season game on Wednesday, while the Red Wings will close out their season on the road against the Florida Panthers, also on Wednesday.

The takeaway

The Lightning are still fighting for home-ice advantage in the playoffs, while the Red Wings' postseason drought will extend to 10 seasons after failing to secure a playoff spot this year. This game will have very different implications for the two teams as they wrap up their regular-season schedules.