Wings: ‘Time for payback’ against Islanders in game with playoff vibe

Moritz Seider did not mince words.

“It is probably the biggest game of our season,” he said in anticipation of Thursday’s rematch between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders at Little Caesars Arena. The Wings (35-28-6) are three points up on the Islanders (29-24-15) in the race for the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

The Wings could be aided by the return of their captain, as Dylan Larkin is awaiting clearance to return to the lineup.

“Everybody should be excited,” Seider said. “Time for payback. Hopefully we can now win three out of the last four and then it’s looking a lot better.”

It was a bad look three weeks ago when the Wings spotted the Islanders the first period, idling as they ran up a 2-0 lead. By the time the Wings started playing it was too late, and they absorbed a 5-3 loss that set them off on a seven-game skid.

While the Wings endured a pointless streak that spanned Feb. 29-March 16, the Islanders ran up six consecutive victories. Now it’s the Wings who have won two of their last three games, and the Islanders who are on an 0-4-1 roll.

“They’ve lost five straight,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “We’ve been there, a week ago, in a similar situation. Now you’re looking at separating that difference. Of course, they’re going to play for their season. They’re a really good team. We wanted big games late in the year. Here we are. We’ll see how we handle it.”

There’s the potential that Larkin may be ready to return after being sidelined since March 2 with a lower-body injury.

“He skated today, so that was certainly a positive,” Lalonde said. “We had some real reps for him, too, which was his first time.”

Lalonde indicated the decision would come down to how Larkin feels and what the trainers say.