Nobody will know for sure what the Detroit Red Wings' penalty kill will look like, but what was one of the worst marks in NHL history in 2024-25 seems like it's correcting itself in the preseason. While we have only caught glimpses of who will man the actual PK unit in the regular season, you can't help but feel cautious optimism right now about what the Wings dished out in Tuesday night's win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
In the 3-1 win, the Wings gave the Blackhawks six chances on the man advantage, and they stopped them all six times. That's a major momentum booster, even if only between 12 and 13 players who dressed on Tuesday will be part of the Wings' opening night lineup.
It was something netminder Cam Tablot noticed. In an article by Jonathan Mills on NHL.com, Talbot said, “Our penalty kill had a lot of opportunities tonight to step up, and we did. A bunch of guys ate some pucks up front. We weathered the storm when they were snapping it around on their power plays, but we went 6-for-6 on the PK and came out with the win.”
You might ask, "Well, what's so great about one good night in a preseason matchup?" That's fair, but the Wings also shut out the Penguins' power play unit on Monday, and dating back to that debacle of a game against the Buffalo Sabres on Sept. 27, the penalty kill stopped one out of two chances, giving them a sparkling PK percentage of 90 over their last three matchups. So far, that's true progress, but cautious optimism is the way to go here.
Detroit Red Wings PK is looking good in the preseason, but...
Hockey teams don't often show their true looks in the preseason, since it's a time to test different strategies, lines, and techniques. There is a chance the Wings haven't seen a fully-fledged power play unit take the ice all preseason, meaning it would be surprising if they kept stopping opposing units 90 percent of the time, especially early on.
But the penalty kill was so bad in 2024-25 that you need to take the wins any way you can get them if you're the Red Wings. Going by Talbot's quote in the previous section, getting the best of an opposing power play doesn't need to be difficult or overly complicated. His "ate some pucks up front" quip is all it takes to transform a league-worst PK unit.
If the Wings can get some sticks on the puck during the regular season and throw off an opponent's rhythm, look for their PK unit to fare much better than the 70.11 mark they snagged a season ago. Should the group get closer to the 77-78 percent mark, just under the league average from last season, a few would-be losses will earn them much-needed W's and two points to go toward the standings.
Another sign of optimism for Wings fans
Knowing that the penalty kill has been stellar across multiple games should give fans confidence that it won't tank in the regular season. They have seen different groups of players, those heading for the big club and others filling in as organizational depth, taking the ice on multiple nights and yielding similar results.
It shows that everyone in the organization is on the same page while on the PK, so there's no reason this won't continue when the games start to count, as long as the Wings understand they will face more complicated looks. But right now, fans have a right to believe.