The Detroit Red Wings' shooting woes should end on Thursday night when the Vancouver Canucks roll into town. Vancouver is a team with two good goaltenders in Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen, but they're a rebuilding team that can't stop anyone.
The Canucks have a slew of key players injured, and they recently traded one of their best playmakers, Quinn Hughes, to the Minnesota Wild. For the Wings, there is no excuse: they need to make a statement.
Vancouver has allowed 1,234 shots on goal this season, well over the NHL average of 1,187, for an average of 29.4 per game. That's nearly 10 more shots on goal allowed per game than what the Red Wings have had over their past four contests, which is an ugly 19.5.
Detroit Red Wings finally activate a high-end prospect
On Wednesday, the Wings activated Shai Buium, one of their top prospects at the blue line, and someone who could ultimately find himself making a cameo appearance in a Winged Wheel.
Detroit immediately assigned him to Grand Rapids, where he played in 67 contests in 2024-25. Buium finished the year with two goals and 25 points, showing off playmaking potential. Now that he's in his second season and is used to the pace of professional hockey, look for Buium to become a pivotal part of what has become one of the best teams in AHL history.
Buium will join the likes of Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, a pair of high-end prospects who are on the cusp of playing in the NHL full-time. They will be a fun trio to watch once Buium has re-acclimated himself.
John Gibson and Michael Rasmussen keep resurrecting their seasons
On Wednesday, I wrote about John Gibson, and how he has transformed into one of the NHL's best goaltenders starting in December. But it comes with a warning label, as one good month doesn't automatically mean Gibson is a different player following two horrendous months. Therefore, the month of January may decide things.
Ditto for Michael Rasmussen. Drew Dykowski took a deep dive into Rasmussen's recent resurgence and how he has transformed into one of the more reliable lower-liners on the Wings. For the first two months of the season, Rasmussen looked like the next odd man out behind Jonatan Berggren, who is now with the St. Louis Blues. The question is: Will he keep it up?
Players like Gibson and Rasmussen deserve more credit than they have gotten lately, as they are two reasons the Red Wings have started winning games consistently. Should they continue their success in Hockeytown, don't expect the Wings to falter as they have in recent years. IF they can start shooting the puck more.