Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings Postgame: Entering The Just Win Phase of The Season
Detroit needs points. It’s all that matters right now
The Detroit Red Wings have officially entered into Al Davis mode. Davis, the longtime managing general partner of the the NFL’s Oakland Raiders, was famous for coining the phrase just win, baby.
It doesn’t matter how.
That’s exactly where the Red Wings are at as the season dwindles down and they desperately seek to chase down an elusive NHL playoff spot.
“A little slow to start,” Detroit forward Alex DeBrincat said following an ugly 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Sunday. “But overall, two points is two points.”
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 7, 2025
He’s got that right.
Ugly win. Resounding triumph. It doesn’t matter at this stage of the season.
Just win, baby.
After a long stretch in the wilderness, that’s what the Wings are finally doing. It may be too little, too late, but they are battling. If they go out, it will be while being carried on their shields.
For just the second time in the past 18 games, the Red Wings have won back-to-back games. They’ve grabbed points in four successive games (3-0-1).
Understaffed Hurricanes, Panthers Victimized By Red Wings
For the second time in as many games, Detroit was taking advantage of an understaffed opponent. On Friday, the Red Wings downed a Carolina team missing Jordan Staal and Alexander Svechnikov 5-3. Sunday, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers were without Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad.
No matter. A win is a win.
“I almost wish some of those guys were in the lineup because you look over in warm up and you go, well, where is everybody?” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “And then you I don’t want to say disrespect or anything, but you let your guard down a little bit and the workers come out instead of the fancy plays.”
Without their stars, the Panthers set out to physically punish the Red Wings. Florida delivered 42 hits. Jesse Pulijarvi led the way with six hits. Former Detroit forward Tomas Nosek and Jonah Gadjovich each had five hits.
In both games, Detroit was facing a backup goalie – Pyotr Kochetkov for the Hurricanes and Vitek Vanecek for the Panthers.
Again, immaterial.
#REDWINGS WIN!!! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/sZNdlHcYFu
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) April 7, 2025
Just win the game.
“We can’t control who we face, what the lineup’s like, who plays, how much they play,” McLellan said. “We can control what we can and I don’t know what we’re going to get moving forward, but it really doesn’t matter.”
Ice Chips
The Red Wings are 5-1 in their past six home games. Unfortunately, Detroit plays five of the last six games on the road . . . DeBrincat scored on the power play, Detroit’s NHL-leading 62nd power-play goal . . . The win was No. 621 for McLellan as an NHL coach, moving him past former Wings coach Bryan Murray into 21st on the all-time list.
