Red Wings Pay Price For Slow Start, Lose 5-3 As Flyers Hold Off Late Charge
The Detroit Red Wings have now lost three straight regulation games on home ice against opponents they're competing with for a spot in the playoffs, dropping a 5-3 final to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Follow Michael Whitaker On X On Friday evening, the Detroit Red Wings got off to the start that they needed against the Buffalo Sabres with three first-period goals. 24 hours later on home ice against the Philadelphia Flyers, it was back to the familiar, sluggish start that had doomed them earlier in the week against the Ottawa Senators. The Flyers not only scored on their first shot of the game, but built a 4–0 lead by the early third period, then held off a furious late push from the Red Wings to secure a 5–3 win and hand Detroit another damaging setback.
Tonight's final. In Pittsburgh on Tuesday. pic.
twitter. com/X8gM3XvoPg — Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 29, 2026 Had the Red Wings won, they could have leapfrogged the Columbus Blue Jackets, who lost earlier on Saturday to the San Jose Sharks, for the second Wild Card position. Instead, they remain tied at 86 points and are still on the outside looking in at the playoff picture.
Flyers forward Owen Tippett registered a hat trick for the Flyers, the third of his career. He opened the scoring on a first-period breakaway, beating Red Wings goaltender John Gibson through the five-hole. In the second period, he increased Philadelphia's lead to 2-0 when his shot from the face-off circle squeaked through the pads of Gibson.