Detroit Red Wings: ‘Like how we won in different ways’
Detroit Red Wings Emmitt Finnie, Dylan Larkin & Todd McLellan, Oct. 19, 2025 in Detroit.
The Detroit Red Wings won five of their first six games as recently as two years ago, but this start has a different feel about it.
Credit that to the play of a trio of rookies – especially the seventh-round pick who finished camp on the first line – and to the remarkable turnaround from a season-opening stinker. Since falling, 5-1, to the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 9, the Wings have banked 10 points on the strength of outscoring their opponents – all but one of them Atlantic Division rivals – 19-9. The power play has clicked at 21.4% and the penalty kill a perfect 100%.
The Wings were off Monday, Oct. 20, before they were set to head on the road for their first back-to-back of the season. When they resume work on Tuesday, there should be more clarity regarding the status of Patrick Kane, who is dealing with an upper-body injury.
Coach Todd McLellan reflected on the turnaround after the Wings took down the Edmonton Oilers, the Stanley Cup runners-up the past two seasons, 4-2 on Sunday.
“I just knew that we were disappointed as a coaching staff and that we had things to fix,” McLellan said of the first game. “Maybe the disappointment is it’s like a teacher in a classroom – you worked for three months on a lesson, and now they took the test and just bombed it. So then you take the re-test. Remember those in grade three or whatever it was, four, you get a retest? Well, we got a re-test, and we got to study a little harder and held them accountable.
“If I remember correctly, the first thing I talked about was our team spirit and how they were responsible for maintaining it right now, and then I finished by reminding them of that. The team spirit was real important, and if you guys remember when I got here last year, that was something we wanted to instill.”
One of the Wings who hasn’t bombed anything is rookie Emmitt Finnie. There was a question when camp began of who would play with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on the top line. James van Riemsdyk might have been an answer, but he understandably missed camp to tend to his family, which had just welcomed twin boys. So Elmer Söderblom, Jonatan Berggren and Finnie all got trial runs, with Finnie taking top marks.
Since then, he has had nothing but rave reviews; the latest came after he scored his first NHL goal (and his second) Sunday.
“Fin, I can’t say enough good things about him,” Larkin said. “He rarely makes mistakes, but if something happens, you can’t, you can’t get mad at him. He’s such a great guy. And I really mean that, and hardworking. He does the little things that, that win hockey games. To see him score his first (goal) was awesome. And sure enough, right around the net, he goes to the net hard, he plays without fear. Just a great, great teammate, great linemate. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Larkin complimented all the rookies – Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Axel Sandin Pellikka – for how they’ve assimilated and bring so much energy to every game.
“They seem to be fearless,” he said. “That’s something I look at, and why can’t I be fearless too? They’ve brought a great motivating, brought a great energy, to our locker room.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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