23-24 Detroit Red Wings Playoff Race

[Pop Zeus]

Oilers beat the pens. Pens are toast.

Islanders with a 3-1 lead at Anaheim. Despite only six shots.
Isle could move into a tie with a game in hand.

[Pop Zeus]

Isles win 6-1
Officially tied in points. One game in hand.
Big test for them tomorrow at LA.
Detroit has a must win game at Buffalo.

[hiramnicak]

i expect NYI to get in. DET competition, in my eyes, is PHI. they sold some assets at the deadline and are most likely to drop of the teams ahead of us. the only other team playing for a spot is WSH, and they sold at the deadline as well. sans Larkin, anything is possible, but we have no business getting passed by PHI or WSH for me.

[Pop Zeus]

i expect NYI to get in. DET competition, in my eyes, is PHI. they sold some assets at the deadline and are most likely to drop of the teams ahead of us. the only other team playing for a spot is WSH, and they sold at the deadline as well. sans Larkin, anything is possible, but we have no business getting passed by PHI or WSH for me.

Yeah. Philadelphia has no business where it is.

Detroit's schedule
@Buffalo
Arizona
Buffalo
@Pittsburgh
Columbus
Islanders
@Preds
@Washington
@Carolina
@Florida
@Tampa
NYR
Buffalo
Washington
@Pittsburgh
@Toronto
Montreal
@Montreal
Even with Larkin out for 3-4 more games...
Conservatively. 8-7-3

NYI Schsuled
@LA
@Buf
Ottawa
@NYR
Carolina
@Detroit
Winnipeg
NJD
@FLA
@TB
@Philly
Chicago
@Columbus
Nashville
Rangers
Montreal
@Rangers
@Devils
Penguins
Estimating 8-8-3

Flyers
SJ
Toronto
@Boston
Toronto
@Carolina
Boston
Florida
@Rangers
@Montreal
Chicago
Islanders
@Buffalo
@Clumbus
@Canadiens
@Rangers
Devils
Capitals
17 games left
8-6-3

Here's the thing that's really in Detroit's favor...
Even factoring Larkin being out, Detroit's immediate schedule is easy.

@Buffalo
Arizona
Buffalo
@Pittsburgh
Columbus
Islanders
@Preds
@Washington

Not a single really good opponent. Six of the 8 are well back of the playoffs and have basically thrown in the towel.

Detroit on March 27 should have 81 points minimum.
The Islanders and Flyers have a tougher early road. They might only have 6 points for 78. The Flyers might have 3-4 points. They'd be at 75 or 76.

That sort of momentum swing could a) give Detroit confidence or b) mentally fold up the Flyers.

[hiramnicak]

Counting OTL as L, Detroit is 31-24 with Larkin and 2-7 without him.

[Pop Zeus]

Counting OTL as L, Detroit is 31-24 with Larkin and 2-7 without him.

And Larkin's not even that good.
Still less than a P/G and a minus player

[Machine]

lol you go Pops
They better pull their heads out of their asses or they’ll be golfing again

[Pop Zeus]

lol you go Pops
They better pull their heads out of their asses or they’ll be golfing again

Name another less than point/game guy - every year of his career... and MINUS guy every year but once in his career .... who gets treated like he's a fucking star. He's 58th in league scoring.

[Pop Zeus]

Good news so far.
Devils lose. Pretty much dead.
Washington down 3-0. Very close to being almost dead.

[Barbrady]

lol you go Pops
They better pull their heads out of their asses or they’ll be golfing again

Name another less than point/game guy - every year of his career... and MINUS guy every year but once in his career .... who gets treated like he's a fucking star. He's 58th in league scoring.

Jonathan Toews.
Nice +/- caveat there though. The most legendary cherry picked stat of all time.
Be a nice experiment to give Dylan those Blackhawks teammates and put Toews on the last 8 years of Red Wings and see what happens to that +/-.
We got a nice 6 year sample size of what happens to a Toews +/- when he's on a bad team surrounded by mostly crap.