Red Wings: With Patrick Kane out, there’s opportunity for John Leonard
Detroit Red Wings John Leonard, Dylan Larkin & Todd McLellan, Dec. 15, 2025 in Detroit.
The  Detroit Red Wings returned to play at Little Caesars Arena for the first time in two weeks, against an opponent who twice this season has given it it to them on the chin.
It took the Wings until the third period, but this time, they punched back against the New York Islanders, scoring twice in less than two minutes. Alex DeBrincat used his second goal of the night, a power play score, to pull the Wings into the lead with less than three minutes to go en route to a 3-2 victory.
The game on Tuesday, Dec. 16, was the first of two in two days at LCA; the Wings (19-12-3) host the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., TNT/truTV).
Tuesday’s affair was pretty mundane until the third period. Rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka continued a hot hand when he slid along the goal line to the net and fired the puck high into the Isles’ net to make it 1-1 just 2:03 into the third period. That was Sandin-Pellikka’s seventh point in his past seven games.
DeBrincat, another one with hot hands, pulled the Wings ahead during a power play, scoring his 19th goal of the season at 3:55. That was DeBrincat’s 12th point in eight games. Lucas Raymond assisted on both goals.
The Islanders tied it at 11:26 when Scott Mayfield drove to the net and fired the puck behind John Gibson.
It was the Wings’ first game back home after a long trip, most of which was out west. Such games have a reputation for being especially challenging, and the Islanders did strike just five minutes after the puck dropped. Mathew Barzal had the puck along the left boards and fed a backhand across the ice to an open Emil Heineman, who ripped a one-timer glove-side on Gibson.
The Wings had some good looks at Ilya Sorokin down at the other end, especially with around five minutes left in the first period. The top line and top defense pairing had such command of the puck they pinned the Islanders for about two minutes, moving the puck around and keeping Sorokin and shot blockers busy.
There was less punch from the home team in the second period. It wasn’t until nine minutes in the that the Wings got a shot on goal, when John Leonard, called up Monday to sub for an injured Patrick Kane, had a little breakaway but missed on his attempt. Sorokin was sharp a couple minutes later when Raymond danced around multiple defenders en route to a point-blank attempt from just outside the crease.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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