The penalty that may have cost the Red Wings their season

Detroit had already climbed out of a 4-1 hole against Minnesota in a game that carried real weight for the Red Wings' playoff push.

That alone should have been the story.

Instead, Kane's night flipped in a hurry.

He had just tied the game 4-4 with a little more than 5 minutes left in the third, giving Detroit life and giving the bench a reason to believe it had stolen back a point, maybe two.

Then came the play nobody in that locker room is going to forget anytime soon.

Away from the puck, Kane took a tripping penalty on Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes as Hughes headed toward the bench.

It was needless, late, and completely avoidable in that moment.

For a veteran with Kane's résumé, that's what makes it sting even more. Detroit needed poise. It got panicked.

The Red Wings had already done the hard part. They erased a 3-goal deficit on the road and dragged themselves back into a game that looked cooked.

That should have set up an overtime push and at least a chance to bank a point. Instead, Kane's penalty handed Minnesota a power play with the season hanging in the balance.

Kirill Kaprizov made Detroit pay right away, finishing his hat trick on the ensuing man advantage and sealing a 5-4 Wild win.

The Red Wings got nothing out of the comeback.

That's the part that will linger. Not just the penalty, but the timing of it.

McLellan's group had shown push, urgency, and enough bite to turn a flat night into a huge result. One reckless decision wiped all of it off the board.

Detroit can survive getting outplayed for stretches.

Teams do that all season. What they usually can't survive in April is a self-inflicted penalty from one of their most trusted players.

Kane went from comeback spark to the face of a collapse in a matter of seconds. And for a team clawing for every point, that swing may be the one that defines its season.