Red Wings Extend NHL's Longest Current Playoff Drought

Detroit's loss to Devils seals another missed postseason for once-proud franchise

Apr. 12, 2026 at 1:48am

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An abstract, cubist-style painting depicting a hockey game, with the players and ice broken down into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes in muted blues, grays, and whites, with the puck as a central focal point.The Red Wings' latest defeat extends their NHL-record playoff drought, exposing the team's struggles to regain its former glory.Today in Detroit

The Detroit Red Wings lost 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, a defeat that sealed their fate and extended the NHL's longest current playoff drought to 10 seasons. The Red Wings had been in playoff position for much of the season but faltered down the stretch, leaving their frustrated fans to boo the team as they left the ice.

Why it matters

The Red Wings are one of the NHL's Original Six franchises with a storied history of success, including 11 Stanley Cup championships. Their current playoff drought is the longest in the league, a stark contrast to the team's dominant past and raising questions about the direction of the franchise under GM Steve Yzerman.

The details

The Red Wings blew three separate leads against the out-of-contention Devils, with New Jersey's Jesper Bratt scoring the go-ahead goal late in the third period. Detroit had been in playoff position for nearly 80% of the season but slipped in the standings, becoming the second team in NHL history to have at least 69 points in the first 53 games and still miss the playoffs.

  • The Red Wings lost to the Devils on Saturday, April 12, 2026.
  • Detroit had been in playoff position for 148 days of the season, according to Sportradar.
  • The Red Wings' last playoff appearance was in 2016, their 25th consecutive postseason.

The players

Dylan Larkin

The Red Wings' captain, who expressed his disappointment after the loss.

Todd McLellan

The Red Wings' head coach, who acknowledged the team deserved the boos from the fans.

Lucas Raymond

A Red Wings winger, who said the team needs to look in the mirror and be better.

Jesper Bratt

The Devils' forward who scored the game-winning goal against the Red Wings.

Jack Hughes

The Devils' center who assisted on Bratt's game-winning goal.

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What they’re saying

“To hear that is very difficult. We're down. I'm as down as I could be right now.”

— Dylan Larkin, Red Wings Captain

“That's what we earned.”

— Todd McLellan, Red Wings Head Coach

“We put ourselves in a really good position coming out of the Olympic break, and we let it slip away from us. You look back in a lot of games where you lost late leads or came up flat, and you just can't afford that at this time of the year.”

— Lucas Raymond, Red Wings Winger

What’s next

The Red Wings will now focus on the offseason and try to identify ways to end their lengthy playoff drought, with questions surrounding the direction of the franchise under GM Steve Yzerman.

The takeaway

The Red Wings' failure to make the playoffs this season despite being in a strong position for much of the year underscores the challenges the once-dominant franchise has faced in recent years. The team's loyal fans are growing increasingly frustrated, and the organization must find a way to return to its winning ways and recapture the magic that made them one of the NHL's premier franchises.