Red Wings: How to respond in their next game after opening night dud
Detroit Red Wings Andrew Copp, James van Riemsdyk & Todd McLellan, Oct. 10, 2025 in Detroit.
The performance in their second outing certainly was much more to the identity the Detroit Red Wings would like to portray.
The resilience, too: Coming back from an early deficit to make a game of it against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Little Caesars Arena. Three straight goals in the second period propelled the Wings to 6-3 victory that included two empty-net goals.
Lucas Raymond came through with two goals and Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat each had three points. Marco Kasper also scored.
After being embarrassed, 5-1, in the opening-night game by the Montreal Canadiens, the Wings made a few changes: Goalie Cam Talbot started against the Leafs, Jonatan Berggren replaced Elmer Söderblom on the fourth line, and Jacob Bernard-Docker displaced Travis Hamonic on the third pairing. As changes go, the latter two were minor.
Under any circumstance, the Leafs had no trouble scoring less than three minutes into the game. They got the puck to the net, had bodies there – one of them Calle Jarnkrok, who made it 1-0. Ten minutes later, it was 2-0 to the Leafs when Nicolas Roy tipped in Morgan Rielly’s shot.
It took till nearly halfway through the game to break Candiens goalie Anthony Stolarz, accomplished when Kasper turned Kane’s pass into a goal and a jolt of energy for the Wings. Seven minutes later they tied it up, when Raymond was in position to the left of the net to swipe in Dylan Larkin’s pass. Rookie Emmitt Finnie also assisted, earning his first NHL point.
Kane added his first goal of the season with 1:50 to play in the second period, one-timing in a pass from Alex DeBrincat to put the Wings ahead, 3-2.
Max Domi evened the score 2:38 into the third period during a four-on-four play. Raymond picked up his 100th career NHL goal when scored during a power at 6:45, one-timing Kane’s pass. Talbot helped out with two saves during a late Leafs power play, and Simon Edvinsson secured a victory with an empty-net goal four seconds after the Leafs pulled Stolarz. Andrew Copp also found the net empty with 4.7 seconds to go.
The teams meet again Monday in Toronto.
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