Detroit Red Wings absences spells opportunity for Emmitt Finnie
Detroit Red Wings Emimtt Finnie and Todd McLellan, Sept. 29, 2025 in Detroit.
Even for an exhibition game, there wasn’t much energy on display.
The Detroit Red Wings are past the halfway point of their preseason, as they played for the fifth time when they hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-1-1) on Monday, Sept. 29. It was newcomer John Gibson’s first appearance at Little Caesars Arena, and it ended with a 2-1 loss
Dominik Shine put the Wings (2-3-0) on the board with 3:40 to play when he was left alone in front of Pittsburgh’s net, after which Gibson was pulled for the extra attacker.
Neither Gibson nor Penguins counterpart Tristan Jarry saw much in the way of quality shots. The lineups were, as usual, a blend of veterans, prospects and minor leaguers. Patrick Kane, on a line with Marco Kasper and Alex DeBrincat, had one of the few good chances for the Wings during a power play in the second period.
The Wings used the game to see some more of prospects Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Emmitt Finnie and Carter Mazur, playing them on the same line – but where a week ago those three were full of energy, there wasn’t much from them on this night – which fit in with the team as a whole.
Top defense prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka made his fourth appearaance of the preseason, while defenseman William Wallinder, a second-round pick from 2020, got a look next to Moritz Seider.
It wasn’t a very crisp first period for the Wings. A missed assignment enabled 18-year-old Ben Kindel to get to the front of Detroit’s net, where he swung a shot that eluded Gibson just 3:40 in. The Penguins had the better push in the second half of the period, while the Wings only had one shot on Jarry in that span.
The Penguins went up 2-0 early in the second period on a bouncy-puck goal by Tommy Novak.
The Wings play again Tuesday (8 p.m., no TV) on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks.