The Detroit Red Wings haven't been worse all season when lining up against the New York Islanders. And when they went down by a goal just four minutes and 27 seconds into the first period, a few fans had to be saying, "Here we go again."
Fortunately, it didn't turn out that way. The Wings ended up allowing 18 shots on goal as they played a sound game defensively. Their defensive play allowed Axel Sandin-Pellikka to sneak one into the net on a wrister to tie the game at 2:03 into the third period off an assist from Lucas Raymond.
Alex DeBrincat was, once again, the real story. He put the Wings up by one on a power-play goal nearly two minutes later with helpers from Raymond and Moritz Seider. After Scott Mayfield tied the game at two 11 minutes and 20 seconds into the third, DeBrincat came to the rescue at the 17:43 mark, once again on the power play as he sank the game-winner.
Alex DeBrincat has reached elite status in goal-scoring if he hadn't already done so
DeBrincat has been phenomenal in the scoring realm this season, with 20 goals, 19 assists, and 39 points through 34 games. He's on pace to score between 48 and 49 goals this season, and 94 points total. Should he get there, it will be the first time DeBrincat will hit the 90-point threshold.
He's not the only one going for a career-high. Lucas Raymond has 37 points and 10 goals in 32 games this season, putting him on a trajectory for between 92 and 93 points and 67 and 68 assists. Raymond came close to the point-per-game threshold in 2024-25, when he dropped 80 in 82 games.
Moritz Seider is another one to watch. Following his two-point night vs. the Isles, Seider has 24 points in 34 games, putting him on pace to snag between 57 and 58. Should Seider stay on track, it will be his highest points total since he dropped 50 in 2021-22.
The Mammoth are stampeding into Hockeytown
The Red Wings have no time to celebrate their much-needed win over the Islanders with the Utah Mammoth coming into town. Utah is missing star forward Logan Cooley, but they're a scrappy bunch looking to do all they can to keep competing for a wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Utah is also on a back-to-back, coming off a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. While they might have some fatigue skating into Hockeytown, the Wings can't afford to let their guard down. With 41 points, they currently lead the Atlantic by a point, with Boston hot on their tail with 40.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (39 points) also have a game in hand over the Red Wings, so keep that in mind. The Montreal Canadiens (38 points) are within striking distance despite their goaltending and injury concerns. That said, the Red Wings have no option but to keep playing a high-octane game.