It’s right back to action for the Detroit Red Wings after the Olympics, as Todd McLellan’s squad has a playoff drought to end.

The 2026 Milano Winter Olympics are in the books, which means the NHL schedule can finally return to action.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin had a dream Olympic break, helping lead Team USA to a gold medal and was even on the ice when Jack Hughes scored the game-winning goal vs. Canada on Sunday, Feb. 22.

But Larkin and the rest of the Olympians won’t have much time off, as there are eight games on the schedule for Wednesday, Feb. 25.

The Red Wings, who had three players (Larkin, Lucas Raymond for Sweden and Moritz Seider for Germany) playing in the Olympics, will return to the ice on Thursday, when they face the Ottawa Senators on the road at 7 p.m.

It has been a long break for the Wings, who last played Feb. 4 against the Utah Mammoth, a 4-1 loss on the road, but the first 58 games of the season have been undeniably a success.

Here’s where the Red Wings stand with the Olympic break completed and 24 games to play:

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How Red Wings players fared in Olympics

Before we look ahead, let’s look back at how the three Wings did in the Olympic games in Milan.

It’s no secret that Larkin had the memorable Olympics, winning the gold medal and scoring two goals and adding an assist in his six games, but he wasn’t even close to the most productive.

That honor goes to Sweden forward Lucas Raymond, who had nine points in just five games, which included just one goal and eight assists. His final assist came in his final game, an overtime loss in the quarterfinals to the United States. He finished third in the tournament in points, behind only Canadian stars Macklin Celebrini and Connor McDavid.

Defenseman Moritz Seider and his Germany squad ended the tournament on a rough note, a 6-2 loss to Slovakia in the quarterfinals, but Seider helped the team advance out of the group stage and had two assists in the tournament.

After a strong start to the season, the Red Wings have 72 points in 58 games and are tied for second place in the Atlantic Division and tied for third in the Eastern Conference.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes both have 78 points to lead their respective divisions, and the Montreal Canadiens also have 72 points, the same as the Wings, but have a game in hand.

Detroit Red Wings playoff odds

Can the Wings finally make the playoffs for the first time under general manager Steve Yzerman and snap a nine-year playoff drought?

If you ask the predictive models, the answer is yes.

MoneyPuck.com gives the Red Wings a 77.8% chance of making the playoffs, which is the fifth highest in the Eastern Conference.