PREVIEW: Red Wings host Stars for Fan Appreciation Night on Monday

DETROIT -- Celebrating the best fans in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings will host the Dallas Stars for Fan Appreciation Night, presented by Coke Zero Sugar and Meijer, at Little Caesars Arena on Monday.

Monday’s 7 p.m. puck drop also marks the final home game of the 2024-25 season for the Red Wings (37-35-7; 81 points), who are aiming to prevent a two-game season series sweep by the Stars (50-24-6; 108 points). Television broadcast will be simulcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Extra and Fox 2 in Detroit, while radio coverage can be heard on WWJ Newsradio 950 in Detroit.

“It’s Hockeytown for a reason,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “In coming back to Detroit and being in the community, you can feel it again. You get a sense of how important this sport is in the city. I felt it when the Lions were on their run. You could feel the passion and tenacity, then when they were done it was our turn…Very supportive [fanbase].”

Unfortunately, the Red Wings were eliminated from 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff contention on Saturday, when they were idle but saw the Montreal Canadiens gain one point in a 1-0 overtime road loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. That point pushed Montreal, which currently holds the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot, to 88 on the season – one more than Detroit can ultimately reach with three contests left.

“There are different moments throughout the season that you can point to and different aspects of our play that point to being out,” McLellan said. “That’s where we are right now. All that does is tell us we have a lot more work to do and we have to get after it. The coaches have to get more out of the players that are here, and the players have to give more when they’re here. We have to value every moment that we’re in it.”

While certainly disappointed that they won’t be playing beyond game No. 82 this season, Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin stressed that “there’s always something to play for in this League.”

“There’s always someone watching and an opportunity,” Larkin said of the week ahead. “We had a meeting before [Friday’s 4-3 overtime win against the Tampa Bay at AMALIE Arena] and I couldn’t agree with the messaging more. I hope guys understand that. We’re on home ice [on Monday]. Our fans have been great. We owe them a solid performance.”

Set to play the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference First Round, the Stars are currently ranked second in the Central Division but are on a five-game winless streak after falling to the Utah Hockey Club, 5-3, on Saturday.

This season, Matt Duchene leads Dallas with 81 points (30 goals, 51 assists) and Jason Robertson is second with 80 points (35 goals, 45 assists). Wyatt Johnstron has racked up the third-most points (70) and Roope Hintz the fourth-most (66) on the club.

Goalies Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith have shared the crease for the Stars, combining to post a 2.56 goals-against average with a .913 save percentage and four shutouts.

“They’re an exceptional, well-coached team,” Austin Watson said about the Stars. “They’ve been a good team for a few years now. A lot of that core hasn’t changed, so you’ve got some extremely talented players over there. They play a great team game, and it’s going to be difficult. They check well, so it’s going to take our best and we’re ready for that.”