by
Red Wing Justin Faulk on Saturday
On Saturday night, as the Detroit Red Wings played the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena, fans knew it was a long shot that the team would make the playoffs.
But they clung to hope, knowing the team had to win the game to stay alive in the race for post-season play.
But as the game wound down and it became clear they were going to lose, the hope turned to boos.
"The boos were loud and stinging and showed how frustrated Red Wings fans are," the Detroit News reports, adding:
"They rained down Saturday after the Wings' 5-3 loss to New Jersey, officially eliminating the Wings from the Stanley Cup playoffs, and during the final minutes as the Wings struggled to generate a scoring chance and at least earn a point for the standings. They didn't score. They lost. And fans let them hear about it."
So, that makes 10 years in a row that the Red Wings won't make the playoffs in "Hockeytown."
Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski writes:
Steve Yzerman has been in charge for seven of the seasons, and Dylan Larkin has been the captain for almost all of them. They bear the most responsibility, fair or not. Something has to change and Yzerman must explore all options, including a significant roster shakeup.
Could Larkin be on the trading block? What about Lucas Raymond or Simon Edvinsson? Pretty much anyone. The are no sacred cows, perhaps outside of defenseman Moritz Seider. McLellan has been in charge less than two seasons, and for now, another coaching change isn’t the answer. Replacing Yzerman, or bumping him upstairs and launching another rebuild, doesn’t make sense to me. But it may not be a completely taboo idea anymore.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes:
When it mattered most, they looked lackadaisical. It is one thing to lose on skill, but what excuse is there for being outworked, again and again?
