Photo: Gregory Shamus/GettyImages
The Detroit Red Wings have lost three games in a row, the previous one being against the Boston Bruins, who are ahead of them in the Atlantic Division standings by a score of 3-2. With the win, the Bruins moved two points ahead of the Red Wings in the division with 30 points. The Tampa Bay Lightning lead the Atlantic Division with 34 points after a slow start to the 2025-26 season. The Red Wings and Bruins will play again tonight. What do the Red Wings need to do to stay within striking distance of the Bruins in the Atlantic Division? Recently, the Red Wings have been linked to defenseman Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks.
The Red Wings need to win this game not only to stop their losing streak but also to keep in touch with the Bruins. The Red Wings are already more than a quarter of the way through their season. Traditionally, the Thanksgiving date is a cutoff as to whether a team was going to make the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, the fact that the Olympic Games will be held in February. The NHL season will pause, which may mean that this is not true. The Red Wings only play four games in February.
Recently, the head coach of the Red Wings, Todd McLellan, said that the team was not good enough to give away goals. This has happened too many times during the team’s losing streak. The Red Wings’ season has been up and down under McLellan. During the three-game losing streak, the Red Wings gave up 15 goals. Numerous defensive lapses around the team’s net are the reason for such a shocking number of goals given up.
Goaltending is a position of strength within the Red Wings organization. The team drafted stud prospect Sebastian Cossa with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In nine games for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. Cossa has a record of 8-1 with a 1.56 goals-against average and a 0.942 save percentage this season. The apprehension of the Red Wings is to throw Cossa into their net behind a defense that has continued to let the team down.
Is defensive help coming for the Red Wings? Hockey podcaster Jeff Marek has continued to link the Red Wings with Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes. Hughes is 26 years old and has put up more than 50 points five different times during his seven-year career. Moritz Seider had 50 points during his rookie season in 2021-22. Seider won the Calder Trophy after this season. The Red Wings are not the only team that Hughes has been linked with.
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