"Thumbs down" to Red Wings for putting playoff streak in jeopardy TSN's Dave Hodge gave a "thumbs down" to the Detroit Red Wings for beating themselves this year and putting their 24-year playoffs streak in jeopardy.

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24 is a number that suggests beer, and Jack Bauer, and it’s a number the Detroit Red Wings are justifiably proud of, as long as it is soon replaced by the number 25.

I refer, of course, to the 24 consecutive years in which the Red Wings have qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The streak is in danger of stopping there, as the Wings have dropped three straight games and are the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card team by a mere two points over Philadelphia, with the Flyers holding a game in hand. Without doubt, the streak is threatened, especially the way the Wings have been playing, and last night’s 5-3 loss in Columbus was particularly messy.

Detroit made it close by scoring two late goals with netminder Jimmy Howard on the bench, only to see the Blue Jackets ice the game into his empty net. Earlier, the Red Wings’ cause was severely damaged by two Columbus 5 on 3 power play goals, and each time, Luke Glendening was the Detroit player in the box who had put his team down two men.

You don’t do what Detroit has done for the past 24 years without being a model of consistency, and discipline. Not all those Detroit teams played the same way, but, in large part, they always made the playoffs because they seldom beat themselves. They are doing too much of that under rookie coach Jeff Blashill.

I guess it should be “thumbs up” to Philadelphia or anybody else that manages to dislodge Detroit, but lately, it’s “thumbs down” to the Red Wings for what they’ve done to put the streak on the endangered list.

“Thumbs up” to The Hockey News Future Watch, an annual must-read publication here. The 2016 edition shows an interesting pattern in grades awarded to the 30 NHL teams’ prospects and young players.

The top seven scores went to teams that could use them. In order, according to THN, the future looks brightest for Arizona, Buffalo, Columbus, Carolina, Winnipeg, Toronto and Edmonton.

You shouldn’t need to look at the current standings to know that all seven teams sit outside the playoffs.

The Hockey News rankings offer hope to fans of those teams who have suffered this season, and in most cases, in previous seasons.

The scores get particularly depressing near the bottom, where you can find New Jersey at number 28, Ottawa 24 and Montreal 23.

Actually, the Canadiens should be flattered, having watched the latest World Junior Championship without seeing a single one of their prospects in action.

Scores from a crystal ball don’t have to mean a thing. Chicago and Los Angeles don’t really care that the Hockey News doesn’t like their farm systems. They win Stanley Cups instead.

But the teams they beat can hang their helmets on something if their futures look bright.

The Coyotes were lauded for their young players and prospects Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Dylan Strome, Christian Dvorak and Brendan Perlini, to name five.

Hope in the Arizona desert. Spread the word. Sell some tickets.