Red Wings' playoff hopes could be crushed early on due to this one specific problem

While many believe that the Red Wings are a viable playoff candidate, there remains proof that they still have work to do.

When it comes to road trips, the team has failed to play up to the kind of standard that we see playoff teams do.

For example, the Red Wings were outshot by the Toronto Maple Leafs (40-15) despite the 3-2 outcome in Scotiabank Arena.

Without goaltender Cam Talbot, they would've failed.

The flaws started to show when the team was defeated subsequently by the New York Islanders, with a 7-2 finish in favor of the Patrick Roy-led team. They can't count on John Gibson or Cam Talbot to bail them out.

The fact of the matter is, when they play on the road, they don't play up to the standards they hold for themselves.

In both games in the road trip against the Buffalo Sabres and the New York Islanders, they were outscored 11-4 by both teams.

Fortunately for the Red Wings, their game against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday was at home, where they came back from a 4-0 deficit to win 6-4 at Little Caesars Arena.

If they hope to secure a spot in the playoffs after their recent streak of losses, leading to a 5-3 record, the team will need to tighten up their blue line and play like the team who began the year with a 5-1 record to start the year.

The team will need to hold themselves accountable if they're to find themselves in the running for a playoff spot.