The flickering flame that is the Red Wings’ playoff hopes remained lit on Monday night, as Detroit won in its first-ever visit to Utah by a 5-1 score.
If you missed tonight’s game and think you know how it went based on that score, I can assure you that you do not. Both teams combined for one of the sloppiest games of the season, and the goals that ended up deciding the game were, frankly, some of the funniest of the year.
One of my pre-game notes proved prophetic — sorry, I guess that should say “pathetic.” I wrote, “You’ll win a handful of games every year without playing a full 60 minutes, but it feels like those happen more often in November or December, and not in late March when virtually every team on the schedule is playing for something.”
…And this certainly felt much more like an early-season affair than a game with major playoff implications for both teams. I’ll defend the Red Wings a bit because they were solid defensively. After leaving Dylan Guenther — one of the underrated snipers in the NHL — wide open on an early power play to open the scoring, they limited Grade A chances to just a few. Alex Lyon was tested more than he needed to be early, but once Detroit got the lead, they were able to skate away with the win without much late pressure.
But offensively, there are not many highlights. The Red Wings managed just 14 shots on goal, and only five in the first 40 minutes. With minutes left in the game, they were in danger of tying an unflattering franchise record for fewest shots in a win, which they set wayyy back in… October of 2024. A late flurry that resulted in the fifth goal moved it into a tie for the third-fewest shots in a win, per the FanDuel broadcast. Shot attempts were 62-37 in favor of Utah, but shots on goal were just 18-14, which feels a little home-cooked, but still reflective of a game where Utah generally had better looks but mustered little of consequence, despite a 5-to-1 power play advantage. Let’s get to some quick notes.
1. Much-needed depth scoring . It’s hard to call this the best game of the year from Detroit’s fourth line — the Austin Watson, Tyler Motte and Craig Smith trio each logged between 6:07-8:37, and Motte was whistled for two penalties — but there are not many other contenders, and this was an impactful one. Watson scored the silliest goal of the night with a deflection of an Edvinsson’s shot that went over Karel Vejmelka’s head and dropped into the net, and Smith and Motte combined to crash the crease and put the final tally of the night on the board.
The Red Wings’ top line of Rasmussen, Larkin and Raymond were credited with just one combined shot tonight, and Detroit has not won enough games this year without their top line firing on all cylinders. That’s no insult — only a select few teams have a first line that will deliver every single night — but it was nice to see Vladimir Tarasenko and Elmer Soderblom combine to even the score after Utah’s game-opening strike before the fourth line helped put the game away.
2. A tough assignment . There were a handful of instances during my time working in hockey where the backup goalie wasn’t yet situated on the bench in the opening moments of the game, maybe having a quick word with the trainers or adjusting their equipment for comfort, so Alex Lyon being called on after Petr Mrazek took what looked like a knee to the head just 1:38 into this one put him in a tough spot.
On top of that, Lyon has rarely been seen since Detroit picked Mrazek up at the trade deadline, and was forced to enter to enter a must-win game where his confidence couldn’t have been at an all-time high, with the Mrazek addition being a factor in that. While he was never under siege, he faced a few testing moments — most notably a Lawson Crouse breakaway attempt that he stopped and immediately needed to make another in-tight save after Detroit failed to clear, but he came through in a big way and will likely get another look soon with three more games this week.
3. DeBrincat appreciation . While the first line was quiet tonight, DeBrincat ended up with a couple of points (including his 500th career point), assisting on Marco Kasper’s goal (another weird one where DeBrincat’s centering pass hit the side of the net, and Kasper shoveled it in off Crouse’s leg) and scoring an empty netter. It was another notable moment in a season that feels much-improved over his debut season with the Red Wings.
He’s not on pace to shatter his point total, but a strong finish could push his 61 points in 70 games pretty close to his career-best years with Chicago (76 and 78 points), after managing 67 points last season. Even if he doesn’t get there, he’s felt much more consistent than last year — he had such a hot start in 2022-23 and was having a hard time finding the scoresheet late in the year. We haven’t seen prolonged slumps from him this season, and he’s been much more dependable to create chances on a nightly basis.
Escaping with the win tonight is big for Detroit if they have any chance of threatening a playoff spot. They’re now three points out but face a much steeper test tomorrow against a high-octane Colorado Avalanche offense.
Colorado will certainly be motivated to pick up as many points as it can to avoid a seemingly inevitable first-round matchup against Dallas. Following the end of this three-games-in-four-nights trip, the Red Wings will host Ottawa and Boston on Thursday and Saturday. If there’s any fight left in the Red Wings this season, we should know by the end of the week.
