Detroit — The NHL playoffs begin April 12, but for the first time in a long time, the Red Wings aren’t going to be there. Mathematically, it will not happen for a bit longer — with loser’s points and so many teams still in the playoff mix, it’s a mathematician’s delight — but it’s headed that way.
And the streak of 25 consecutive seasons of the Red Wings reaching the playoffs will come to an end.
It feels strange, and it’s likely to feel stranger once the playoffs begin.
“I expected more, I expected we’d be in the thick of things,” general manager Ken Holland said.