In a microcosm of their season, the Red Wings mounted a 5-4 comeback win in the shootout against Montreal, but the effort wasn’t enough to earn a playoff spot.

Don’t stop believing, right?

With mere seconds on the clock, the Red Wings’ season was on the line Tuesday night in Montreal. Down 4-3 and in need of at least an overtime point to have any shot at a playoff spot, Detroit found another miracle. Firing a prayer of a shot from the point, David Perron forced overtime with 3.4 seconds on the clock. The Red Wings mounted their second comeback effort in as many games, then Patrick Kane won it in the shootout, another miracle in a string of them to keep the season afloat.

Unfortunately, this 5-4 miracle — and all the ones before it — wasn’t enough. Seconds after the Red Wings tied the game and forced overtime, 450 miles away in Philadelphia a desperate Flyers team pulled its goalie against Washington to aid its own playoff pursuit. The Capitals scored an empty-net game-winner, clinching their own playoff fate.

Detroit’s comeback wouldn’t bring playoff hockey to the city, but it showed exactly what this team is.

In the comeback against Montreal and really the season at large, the Red Wings were a team with the depth and talent to make the playoffs. Yet, they also couldn’t get out of their own way. In Montreal, a brutal start to the second period put the hosting Canadiens up 3-1; in the season, a seven-game losing streak in March left the Red Wings just outside of a playoff spot. Even the comeback win — with Perron’s heroics and goals from Joe Veleno and Daniel Sprong — felt like a sample size of the past two and a half weeks of Detroit’s season.

Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to get the Red Wings where they wanted to be. There will be no more games for them to play, as the Capitals won the final playoff spot. Had Detroit handled its business a little cleaner, a little earlier, and eked out another win or two, this reality would be different.

But in the end, Detroit’s resolve had to count for something, too. It could’ve rolled over and given up, accepting that it was too far behind to make a playoff push. It could’ve rolled over and took a crushing loss to Montreal. Instead, the Red Wings kept battling like the playoff team they wanted to be.

Playoff teams don’t roll over. Playoff teams don’t quit. Playoff teams don’t stop believing — and the Red Wings didn’t until the bitter end.

Tuesday’s effort might not have been enough for a playoff spot at the end of the day, but it was the kind of outing prerequisite for a team to even think about playoffs. The Red Wings might’ve fallen a point behind their ultimate goal, but the showing displayed the type of grit and determination that they needed. They made miracles out of mediocrity, comebacks out of blown chances. They gave themselves a reason to believe, even when others left them for dead.

Beating Montreal just to miss the playoffs is a heartbreaking finish, sure, but the Red Wings have plenty to look toward for hope. This season marked their best since they last made the playoffs in 2016. And while next year’s roster will surely look different from this one, key stars like defenseman Moritz Seider — who scored the game’s first goal — and forward Lucas Raymond — who practically out this team on his back — showed tremendous growth throughout the season.

Was it enough to make the playoffs? Not quite. But the lack of quit was admirable until the very end. As much as the Red Wings blew an unexpected playoff opportunity this season, they also took numerous steps toward being a playoff team in the future. As they regroup and retool in the offseason, the comeback of both the Montreal game and their season leaves plenty to believe in.

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