The Detroit Red Wings' playoff hopes suffered a crushing setback on Tuesday after losing 4-1 to the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell Arena.A win would have boosted the Red Wings' chances of making the playoffs to 12.5%. However, they now face a mere 0.5% chance of qualifying for the postseason.The Detroit Red Wings sit fourth in the Eastern Conference Wild Card standings, trailing the Montreal Canadiens by eight points for the second spot. Meanwhile, the NY Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets are also tied at 79 points in the chase."You couldn't draw it up worse than that for us," coach Todd McLellan told FDSN after the game about the deciding play."The power play was really ineffective," McLellan said. "Nothing going on there and we rely on it a lot."The Red Wings have not reached the playoffs since 2016, and with only five games remaining, it seems increasingly likely that Hockeytown will endure yet another year without postseason action.The Detroit Red Wings will be up against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena next on Thursday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.How Montreal Canadiens downed Detroit Red WingsOn Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 at Centre Bell Arena, securing their sixth straight win.Dylan Larkin opened the scoring for the Red Wings after putting them ahead 1-0 at 9:54 into the first period. He was the lone scorer for the club in the game.Coming into the second period, Cole Caufield tied it 1-1 for the Canadiens at 16:29 into the period. The Canadiens scored only one goal in that period. Josh Anderson extended the Habs' lead to 2-1 after scoring at 10:48 into the third period.Brendan Gallagher increased the Canadiens' lead to 3-1 after scoring an empty net goal at 18:54. With less than a minute remaining in the regulation time, Nick Suzuki scored on the empty net to clinch the victory for the Canadiens.Anderson, Gallagher, and Suzuki all notched two points in the matchup. Goaltender Sam Montembeault made 35 saves and posted a .972 save percentage on the night.The Montreal Canadiens travel to the Canadian Tire Centre next to face the Ottawa Senators next on Friday. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.