Detroit Red Wings Pivotal Game Against Montreal Canadiens

Game Preview: Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens 4/16/2024

The Detroit Red Wings are six points out of the second wild-card spot, with six games remaining in the 2024-25 season. The team’s next game is against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena. This game is as close as it comes to being a must-win game for the Red Wings’ playoff chances. The Red Wings have a record of 3-1-2 against the Canadiens during the 2024-25 season. How are both teams playing heading into this pivotal matchup?

With the Rangers losing tonight, the Red Wings are the first team outside of the WC2 playoff spot.

They still don't control their own destiny, but they'll still have a shot at this (unlikely as it seems) if they beat Montreal in regulation Tuesday night. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/vlxGSCNrzM
— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) April 8, 2025

The Canadiens have won five games in a row going into this game. The Red Wings have won three of their last four games. With that in mind, are the Red Wings running out of time as they try to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in nine seasons? I have previously written that the Red Wings might still be in a wild-card spot had they not had a record of 4-10 in March. This was the second year in a row that the team struggled in March.

The Red Wings have the most difficult remaining schedule of any team in the NHL. According to MoneyPuck, the Red Wings have a 93% chance of making the playoffs if they win all their remaining games. If the team loses one game, that percentage falls to 70%. Aside from the Chicago Blackhawks, the five teams remaining on the Red Wings’ schedule are in a playoff spot. The Red Wings’ record against the Canadiens during the 2024-25 season is 2-1 going into this pivotal game.

Red Wings goaltender Cam Talbot made a save with time expiring against the Florida Panthers to secure the 2-1 win for the Red Wings. At 37 years old, Talbot is a veteran backup for the Red Wings as they continue to look for a long-term answer to their goaltending position. In 43 games started for the Red Wings this season, Talbot has a record of 20-17-4 with two shutouts, a 2.87 goals against average, and a .904 save percentage.

That is not to say that the Red Wings do not see that Talbot is playing well right now, the coaching staff included. “Good goaltending gives you an opportunity to win the game, and that’s what [Talbot] is giving us right now,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “The team is very confident in him right now, and that’s a real good thing to have at this time of the year.” Confidence has run hot and cold for the Red Wings under McLellan, and the goaltending position is perhaps the most reliant on confidence.

With only six games remaining in the Red Wings’ schedule, the team still has a chance to make it into the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. This is a familiar place for the team, as last season the Red Wings were in a playoff spot until the last game of the season. Despite defeating the Canadiens in a shootout, the Red Wings were eliminated when the Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout.