The Detroit Red Wings started slowly in Minnesota, but they finished with authority, overturning a 2–0 first period deficit for a 3–2 victory over the Wild.
After Vladimir Tarasenko got the Red Wings on the board just over 10 minutes into the second period, Simon Edvinsson took over for the visitors. He struck once in the second and once in the third (his sixth and seventh goals of the season) to put his team in front with eight and a half minutes to play.
Unlike Saturday against the Wild, Detroit managed to close out the game without incident. While the Red Wings never found an insurance goal and Edvinsson's goal came on one of just three shots for his team in the third, they did what they couldn't do Saturday or Sunday: Hold off a late-game six-on-five empty-net push.
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In earning the victory, Detroit did two things it will have to do often down the stretch if it wants to get its wild card bid across the finish line: Winning on the road and winning without a contribution from the power play.
To the first point, 14 of the Red Wings' 24 remaining games will be away from the friendly confines of Little Caesars Arena. That means to qualify for the postseason, they will have to find a way to consistently pick up points on the road. They've clearly shown they can do that under Todd McLellan with wins in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Sunrise. Tuesday night in St. Paul offered one more example of Detroit finding a way to win away from home.
To the latter point, in searching for vulnerabilities or potential sites of regression for the Red Wings as they continue a strong start to the calendar year, the power play comes to mind. Detroit's power play has been a strength all year, but it's humming along at a ridiculous 38.1% in 2025 and even more ridiculous 47.1% for the month of February. That's an awfully hard pace to maintain for any power play, and those opportunities will also get harder to come by as the postseason draws nearer. As such, another key for the Red Wings will be winning on nights the PP isn't clicking or doesn't get a chance. Tuesday, Detroit only had one look on the power play and failed to score, but that didn't hold the Red Wings back from road victory.
Detroit will be back in action Thursday night at LCA, when it will host the Blue Jackets in anticipation of Saturday evening's Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium.
Breaking: Copp Out for the Season after Pectoral Injury
For <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings/">the Detroit Red Wings</a>, injury news went from bad to worse Tuesday morning, when the team announced that center Andrew Copp will miss the remainder of the season. Copp was injured in Saturday's overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild, and now, <a href="https://x.com/DetroitRedWings/status/1894428401777180785">the team revealed</a> Copp underwent surgery to repair his left pectoral tendon that is slated to keep him out of action for four to six months, a timeline that draws his 2024-24
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