Red Wings Weekly #4 – Wings’ Wonderful Western Swing

Out of the Tunnel, Into the Win Column

Thursday, Oct. 30 vs. Los Angeles Kings, 4-3 Shootout Win

The Kings opened the scoring with a short handed goal, and then Detroit turned right back around and evened the score on the same power play. The Red Wings really lost control of this game at the end of the third period, and they even thought they lost the game in overtime when Kevin Fiala scored to end the game. 

However, as Detroit was deep in the tunnel and they were informed that the goal had been overturned due to goaltender interference. The fact that they got back into the game and even won it in the shootout is impressive, especially for Cam Talbot who made three saves in the shootout to seal the game. 

Game Recap

Trick or Trap?

Friday, Oct. 31 vs. Anaheim Ducks, 5-2 Loss

Anaheim is a fast, young team that was coming off two full days of rest. Detroit was playing the second half of a back-to-back. This was kinda obvious in hindsight. The Ducks really exposed Detroit’s defense off the rush which makes some sense given that hasn’t been a strength of this year’s Red Wings, paired with the exhaustion of playing their third game in four nights. Not how you wanted the game to go, but this is really just a schedule loss anyway. 

We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Bandwagon

Sunday, Nov. 2 vs. San Jose Sharks, 3-2 Shootout Win

Detroit was again playing their third game in four nights so a bit of a slow game was to be expected. While the advanced stats make this look like Detroit throttled the Sharks, it was actually much closer, with the youth of San Jose being a handful for Detroit all night long. Seider finally potted his first of the season (at least his first goal that wasn’t disallowed) and Raymond scored a beauty to open the scoring. Talbot has saved all seven shots he has faced this year in the shootout after making four stops in this one. 

Game Recap

3 Stars of the Week

1st Star: Alex DeBrincat – 3G, 4A

2nd Star: Dylan Larkin – 2G, 3A

3rd Star: Moritz Seider – 1G, 3A

Trick or Treat?

In the spirit of the season (even if I’m a little late), let’s take a look at some early trends for the Red Wings and determine whether they’re a trick or a treat.

Emmitt Finnie’s Play So Far

Finsanity has taken Hockeytown by storm this season, landing on Detroit’s first line as a 20-year-old rookie who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 Draft. Finnie has absolutely earned that spot in the first month of the season, and has scored more points than anyone expected early on, with eight points through 12 career games.

While I don’t think he’ll score at that same 55 point pace for the entire season, I wouldn’t be shocked if Finnie chipped in with roughly 40 points on the top line. The reason that wouldn’t be a surprise is that his play under the hood has been really strong, out shooting, out chancing, out scoring opponents consistently while getting some of the toughest minutes among Red Wings forwards. Granted, he is playing full time with Raymond and Larkin, but as we learned last season, that doesn’t automatically make someone look great.

Verdict: Treat

Dylan Larkin’s Early Production

Dylan Larkin has scored at a ridiculous 114 point pace to start the season with 8 goals and 18 points through 13 games. Can he keep this up? In a word, no. Larkin has scored on over 21% of his shots so far this season, and his highest season-long shooting percentage to this point in his career was 14.9% back in the 2023-24 season.

However, if you believe Larkin is a 70-80 point player (as he has proven to be over the past few seasons), then him scoring like a 100+ point player for a month or so but returning to his regular self for the rest of the season still gives him a chance to put up big numbers. For example, if he were to score at a 75-point pace from this point on then he would still score a career high 81 points. 

Verdict: Trick (but still impressive)

Detroit’s Goaltending Woes

Through the team’s first 13 games of the season, Detroit’s goaltenders are combining for a save percentage of 0.884, 24th in the league. Talbot has narrowly better stats with a .897 save percentage, but neither goaltender is in the league’s top-20 for save percentage (stats via. Natural Stat Trick). While the team is riding a hot streak thanks to remarkable contributions across the roster, they are absolutely going to need more from their goaltenders going forward if they want to remain this high in the standings. 

The Red Wings are seventh in the league in High Danger Chances For percentage (HDCF%), but rank 26th in High Danger Goals For percentage, meaning they create far more high danger looks than they allow, but are bleeding goals against on high danger looks at a much higher rate than expected. 

Verdict: Trick (though it’s also true)

Lucas Raymond Not Looking Like Himself

If you were just to look at the stats, it looks like Raymond is having a wonderful start to the season, and he is. However, if you’ve watched him play at all in the past two weeks since he missed some time with an injury, it’s clear that Detroit’s young star isn’t feeling 100%. There’s the winces after slapshots, the shyness in battles, and just a general lack of the killer instinct that Raymond has shown in recent years.

At this point, it’s easy to chalk this all up to him playing through an injury, but hopefully it’s something that can heal while he plays because Detroit doesn’t just need a good version of Raymond if they want to make the playoffs this year. They need an elite version of him. It’s also a massive compliment to how excellent he can be that I’m watching him score at a roughly point-per-game pace against tough competition and I’m still so confident he has another gear to reach.

Verdict: Trick

Prospect to Watch

Brent Solomon, RW, Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)

I was tempted to repeat myself already, with Max Plante showing off in the NCAA to the tune of nine goals and 19 points in just 10 games. However, I decided to go with another prospect who is lighting it up early this year in Brent Solomon.

Solomon is a right handed sniper who is tearing up the USHL with nine goals and nine assists through 14 games. He currently leads the USHL in scoring and is his team’s leading scorer by a margin of six points. He is just 18 and was drafted by Detroit in the fourth round of the 2025 Draft, but Solomon is player to keep an eye on this season. 

Upcoming Games

Tuesday, Nov. 4 vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 10PM ET

Friday, Nov 7 vs. New York Rangers, 7PM ET

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Nicholas Gionnone:
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