Detroit Red Wings in Second Place in Atlantic Division Through Eight Games

Five of the first six games of the 2025-26 NHL season were against Atlantic Division teams. “We’ve seen pretty much everything in these last four games,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said after the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. “We’ve seen our team be completely in charge of a game, we’ve had a goalie steal a game for us in Toronto, and tonight, we almost saw two games in one.”

The 2023-24 Red Wings similarly started their season, leading some in the hockey world to call them a “wagon.” However, this season ended with the Red Wings having a record of 41-32-9, which placed them in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings won seven straight games on two separate occasions during the 2024-25 season. With that in mind, what is different about the 2025-26 Detroit Red Wings through their first six games played?

The Red Wings have two goalies who have recorded a point in six games to begin the season. That’s the fastest two goalies have picked up a point in the Red Wings’ franchise history, narrowly edging out 07-08 when Dominik Hasek picked up a point in game seven and Chris Osgood in game eight. Whether or not Gibson and backup goalie Cam Talbot can remain healthy is another matter. Gibson is the most talented goalie the Red Wings have had on their roster since Jimmy Howard was on the team from 2009 to 2019.

Another thing that has led the Red Wings to have such a hot start is that their rookies have shown that they are serious about staying up with the big club. This was something that Larkin said was coming during the offseason. “We’re going to have some guys that are gonna come up and impress and hopefully solidify themselves for a bright future in their careers and for our team.”

Rookie defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka scored the first goal of his career to open the scoring. Sandin-Pellikka became the third-youngest Red Wings defenseman to score their first NHL goal in the past 35 years, following Simon Edvinsson and Moritz Seider. This goal helped the Red Wings win their fourth game against their Atlantic Division foes. The next six games for the Red Wings have all come against teams that were near the bottom of the NHL during the previous season.

Fellow rookie center Emmitt Finnie scored the first goal of his career in the Red Wings’ most recent game against the Edmonton Oilers. The Red Wings won this game by a score of 4-2. The Red Wings’ defense was stellar in this game, keeping superstar Connor McDavid off the score sheet. Leon Draisaitl, who is also one of the best players in the world, scored a goal, the 400th of his career. If not for a save on a breakaway from Gibson.