Red Wings Clinch Playoff Berth for 25th Consecutive Time

Even though the Detroit Red Wings lost, 3-2, to the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon, they clinched their 25th consecutive playoff appearance because of the Boston Bruins' 6-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators. 

The NHL tweeted confirmation that the Red Wings were headed for the postseason:

The 25-year streak is the longest active run in North American professional sports, according to NHL Public Relations.    

Detroit still would need four more playoff appearances in a row to tie the NHL's longest all-time streak, which the Boston Bruins set from 1968 to 1996. 

With their regular season now over, the Red Wings have the third-place spot locked up in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division—behind the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning—with 93 points. 

The Bruins also concluded their season Saturday and have 93 points, but the Red Wings have had one more win in regulation or overtime, which gave them the No. 3 spot. 

Overall, the Red Wings got the eighth-place spot in the Eastern Conference after the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Saturday to earn their 93rd and 94th points. That result eliminated the Bruins from playoff contention. 

The Red Wings will play the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that is facing time without its star scorer, Steven Stamkos. 

Detroit's impressive streak continues as the organization has become the gold standard for consistency in the league—quite an improvement from the previous two decades. After the Red Wings lost the 1966 Stanley Cup Final to the Montreal Canadiens, they made the playoffs just seven times in the next 24 seasons. 

The last time the team didn't make the postseason was the 1989-90 campaign, when it won just 28 games. In this current streak—which includes the team's move from the Western to the Eastern Conference in 2013—the Red Wings have made the conference finals eight times, the Stanley Cup Final six times and have won the whole thing four times. 

While it might not be the favorite to make it out of the conference given the power of Metropolitan Division teams like the Washington Capitals and Penguins, the organization has continually set itself up for success, and anything can happen once it's playoff time. 

Stats courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com.