As tough as March was for the Detroit Red Wings — they won only four times in 14 games — April projects to be crueler yet.
Their only home games, among nine total between now and the regular season finale on April 17, are against the Carolina Hurricanes (April 4), Florida Panthers (April 6) and Dallas Stars (April 14) — all elite teams, and in the case of the Panthers and Stars, still teams with something to play for in the standings. (The Hurricanes are pretty much locked in as the second seed in the Metropolitan Division.)
The Wings (34-33-6) were off Sunday; they kick off the April slate Tuesday when they visit the St. Louis Blues, who are jockeying for position in the wild-card spots in the Western Conference.
After the home stand next weekend, the Wings play five of their last six games on the road. They head to Montreal on April 8 — that's going to be a game with huge significance, because the Canadiens are one of the four teams currently between the Wings and the playoff picture in the East. With the Ottawa Senators seeming to have a pretty good hold on the first wild-card spot, it looks like it'll be down to the second wild-card berth for the Wings — and the Canadiens, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders are right there in the mix.
After Montreal, the Wings head due south to play the Panthers on April 10 and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 11. Those two teams and the Toronto Maple Leafs are in an ultra-tight battle for the top two seeds in the Atlantic; that matters because it means starting with home ice.
