The Detroit Red Wings are channeling their inner Bachman-Turner Overdrive. They are taking care of business.

The Wings keep on winning, and even more importantly, keep on winning the games that they absolutely should win.

This weekend’s action is a prime example of a couple of games offering up points that the Red Wings must put in the win column.

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— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 16, 2026

There are times over the course of an 82-game season when teams are ripe for the picking. When a club is playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road, they should be cannon fodder for the opposition.

No one needs to explain this to the Red Wings players. They are 0-4-2 in that scenario this season.

Good teams pounce on tired opponents and take the two points. That’s what Detroit did Friday.

The San Jose Sharks were coming to town off a hard-fought 3-2 win at Washington. Detroit beat San Jose 4-2.

Sunday, the beleaguered Ottawa Senators arrive in Detroit less than 24 hours after playing a home game on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens.

The Red Wings should totally feast on the Sens.

They know that.

“I think they for sure put us in a good spot,” Red Wings forward Lucas Raymond said of games like that.

Red Wings Pouncing On Opportunities

The Sharks have proven to be a nemesis of the Red Wings in Detroit the past couple of years. Two seasons ago, San Jose rallied from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Wings 6-5 in overtime. That squandered point wound up costing Detroit a playoff spot.

Last season, the Wings were riding a seven-game win streak when the Sharks arrived for their annual visit. San Jose whipped Detroit 6-3.

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— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 17, 2026

“We talk a lot about series against teams,” Raymond said. “We want to win our series, and especially against these teams that we play twice in the year. I think it’s important to win both of those games.”

You have to go back to Thanksgiving to find the Red Wings losing successive games in regulation time. They are piling up the points with increasing frequency.

“We came out a little flat against Boston (3-0 loss on Tuesday), didn’t play the way we wanted to,” Raymond said. “So this was a big bounce-back game for us, and we look to keep that going.”