The Detroit Red Wings' season has taken a nosedive, and it's been a tough pill to swallow for fans. Back on January 24, the Red Wings were flying high with 69 points, neck and neck with the Carolina Hurricanes for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
At that time, they were sitting pretty in third place overall in the NHL. Those were indeed the good old days.
But since then, the Red Wings have hit a rough patch, and it's been more of a crash than a slide. In the past two months, they've managed just a 6-9-3 record, collecting only 15 points.
That's the worst in the Eastern Conference, and they're tied with the San Jose Sharks for 30th overall in the league. Only the Vancouver Canucks have struggled more during this period.
The standings tell the story: Detroit has slipped to 10th in the East and 13th in the NHL.
Back in January, the Red Wings were comfortably ahead of teams now vying for playoff spots. Montreal was eighth in the league, Boston was 10th, the New York Islanders were 13th, and the Philadelphia Flyers were 16th. Columbus and Ottawa seemed out of the race, sitting in 23rd and 25th, respectively.
Fast forward two months, and it's a whole new ballgame.
Red Wings coach Todd McLellan summed it up well: "Everybody’s paying attention right now, and nobody loses." Well, almost nobody, as Detroit continues to stumble.
While the Red Wings have faltered, their Eastern Conference rivals have been surging. Columbus and Ottawa have both posted impressive records, each tying with Buffalo for the NHL’s best over this stretch. The Islanders, Montreal, Boston, and Philadelphia have all climbed the standings as well.
McLellan knows the focus needs to be on handling their own business. "It's a real indicator that you better take care of your own work and not count on anybody on any given night from now till the end of the season," he said. "We know what’s in front of us, schedule-wise."
The Red Wings have a tough road ahead, and it's clear they'll need to turn things around quickly to keep their playoff hopes alive.