Red Wings Finding Different Ways to Win

When the braintrust of the Detroit Red Wings was mapping out the plan for the NHL season, this certainly wasn’t the blueprint they envisioned.

They didn’t figure to be off to a 3-1 start with Mason Appleton as their leading goal scorer. Likewise, no one would have imagined that the goalie backstopping them to three successive wins would be Cam Talbot. And if you told them that four games into the campaign, Alex DeBrincat would be without a goal, yet still be the team’s leading point producer, that would’ve been a cringeworthy moment.

Yet here they are at 3-1, even though all of the above is true. And that’s a good thing.

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— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 16, 2025

To be a long-term success story in the NHL, it’s not just about finding ways to win. It’s about finding different ways to win.

The Red Wings are doing just that.

Saturday, they whipped Toronto 6-3 in a dominating performance. Two days later, they laid an egg on the road in a rematch with the Maple Leafs. Talbot, though, stood on his head and stole them a 3-2 victory.

Wednesday, facing the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Detroit remained resilient to grind out a 4-1 win that included two empty-net goals.

“We showed we can play with the lead, and we showed that when we’re not playing well, we can get some saves from our goaltending and steal games that way,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “So we’ve really done it with our depth in different ways as well.”

Red Wings Rebounded From Opening Night Face Plant

They were a team brimming with optimism when the Red Wings took the ice to face the Montreal Canadiens on opening night. Taking a 5-1 beating, the Wings might have let down.

Instead, they responded.

“We felt good about our team coming out of training camp, and then we got slapped that first night,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “For as much as Montreal did it to us, we did it to ourselves, too.

“From that day on, we could work on things. They gave us some direction and a roadmap of things we needed to fix. Give the players credit, they paid attention. They’ve worked towards those repairs with detail, and they’ve earned some wins.

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— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) October 16, 2025

“Sometimes the goaltender needs to win you one, sometimes teams win you one. Special teams have won us the last couple of nights. We’ve ended up on the positive side, so we should be confident but far from arrogant.”

It was that last element of the equation that Larkin also sought to emphasize.

“To have a good year, you have to have a good start,” the captain said. “So it’s very important.

“But it’s not anything but a good start. So we keep going and keep finding ways to win, which is most important in this league.”