SportsPreview
The biggest question facing every WNBA team in training camp
WNBA training camps open with key questions for each team.
ESPN News1 min read
Sports
Red Wings lose to Devils, eliminated from playoffs
TL;DR
The Detroit Red Wings were eliminated from playoff contention for the 10th consecutive season after losing 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils. Jesper Bratt scored twice, including the game-winner, as the Wings faced disappointment at home.
Detroit – For the 10th consecutive season, the Red Wings aren't going to the NHL playoffs.
Jesper Bratt scored his second goal of the game at 16 minutes, 26 seconds, giving New Jersey a 5-3 victory Saturday and sending the Wings home for the season.
BOX SCORE: Devils 5, Red Wings 3
Bratt scored on a feed from Jack Hughes on a 2-on-1 rush, shocking the fans at Little Caesars Arena.
Dawson Mercer scored into an empty net with 59.3 seconds remaining, clinching the outcome, igniting a chorus of boos at the end of the game.
Earning at least one point would have kept the Wings in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
The Wings were 12 points clear of a playoff spot, among the Eastern Conference leaders, in late January, only to see the margin fritter away.
Emmitt Finnie scored at the 7-minute mark of the third period, snapping a 2-2 tie.
But Cody Glass scored his 19th goal on a backhander in front of the net, tying the game 3-3 at 11:18.
Detroit left wing Carter Mazur and New Jersey defenseman Brenden Dillon get tangled up during the first period of a game between the Detroit Red Wings and the New Jersey Devils, at Little Caesars Arena, in Detroit, April 11, 2026.
Justin Faulk and David Perron, the Wings' two acquisitions as the trade deadline, had the other Detroit goals.
Hughes and Jesper Bratt also scored for New Jersey.
Faulk opened the scoring with his 15th goal, fourth with the Wings, taking a feed from Dylan Larkin off the rush and beating goaltender Jake Allen from the dot at 9:41.
But the Devils answered 59 seconds later, with Hughes keeping the puck on a 2-on-1 rush and snapping a shot past goaltender John Gibson, Hughes' 27th goal, at 10:40.
The Wings regained the lead on Perron's 12th goal, second with the Wings, one-timing a pass from J.T. Compher past Allen at 11:59 of the second period.
But the Devils answered again, with Bratt scoring his 21st at 15:16 on a long shot from the slot that Gibson didn't see with bodies in front of him.
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Red Wings lose to New Jersey Devils, eliminated from playoffs
Q&A
How did the Red Wings get eliminated from the playoffs?
The Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs after losing 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils, marking their 10th consecutive season without a playoff appearance.
Who scored the game-winning goal for the Devils against the Red Wings?
Jesper Bratt scored the game-winning goal for the Devils, his second of the game, during a 2-on-1 rush.
What was the reaction of Red Wings fans after the game?
Fans at Little Caesars Arena reacted with boos at the end of the game as the Red Wings were eliminated from playoff contention.
