Red Wings face a suffocating Kraken defense. Can Detroit's surging offense, boosted by DeBrincat and new power play looks, break through?
On Tuesday, the Detroit Red Wings return home to face off against one of the rising teams this season in the Seattle Kraken. The Red Wings may be starting to heat up once again, winning two of their last three games while the Kraken have built a defense core that has stumped opposing offenses with a 6-2-3 record and the third-best goals against per game average at 2.36 over their last 11 games.
It should make for a compelling matchup as it'll be just the ninth time in history that these two have faced off with each side even with four wins a piece. Both teams have seen cold and hot streaks with Alex DeBrincat leading the way as of late for Detroit with five goals and an assist for six points over his last three games. Meanwhile, Seattle's Jaden Schwartz has once again found his scoring touch at age 33 with three goals and an assist for four points over his last four games.
Lineup Storylines
The Red Wings have made several notable adjustments to their lineup. Rookie Emmitt Finnie has been moved down to the second line after going ten straight games without a point, and he will look to regain some spark on Tuesday alongside J. T. Compher and Patrick Kane. Some fans have questioned the decision to separate Kane and Alex DeBrincat, but DeBrincat will now skate on the top line with Lucas Raymond and captain Dylan Larkin.
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The third line of Nate Danielson centering Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton is expected to remain intact. Michael Rasmussen will shift to the fourth line with Andrew Copp and James van Riemsdyk after his two-point performance in Anaheim last Thursday. The defense pairings are expected to stay the same, and Cam Talbot is projected to start in goal.
The biggest recent change has come on special teams, drawing on their time together in Grand Rapids, Danielson is now centering the second power-play unit with Finnie on his wing, supported by veterans van Riemsdyk and Copp. The top unit features a full offensive attack with Larkin centering DeBrincat and Kane, while Raymond moves back to the blue line next to Axel Sandin-Pellikka to add even more firepower. The setup paid off on Sunday when the top unit combined on a DeBrincat goal, and the Red Wings hope this arrangement can boost a power play that currently ranks 15th in the league.
Seattle, meanwhile, will ice one of their most balanced forward groups to date. Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle anchor the top line, with Chandler Stephenson and Jaden Schwartz leading the second. Their third unit is built around promising young talent, including former fourth-overall pick Shane Wright on the wing of 2025 eighth-overall pick Berkly Catton, with Eeli Tolvanen providing additional scoring punch. It’s a lineup reminiscent of the 2022–23 Kraken team whose depth powered them to an unexpected playoff berth, a first-round upset of the Colorado Avalanche, and a hard-fought seven-game series against the Dallas Stars.
This Seattle squad has winning experience than people give them credit for and an elite defensive corps featuring Brandon Montour, Vince Dunn, and Ryan Lindgren, forming one of the league’s strongest blue-line groups. Their only potential weakness is in goal with regular starter Joey Daccord and backup Matt Murray both sidelined. The Kraken will likely turn again to veteran netminder Philipp Grubauer with starter fatigue becoming a league-wide issue and could hit them next. The over playing of certain goaltenders has led to very poor performance out of normally solid netminders like Toronto with Anthony Stolarz and Calgary with Dustin Wolf. The Red Wings will look to exploit this vulnerability in what may be their best opportunity to break through Seattle’s top-tier defense.
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Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
DET ML (-169) | SEA ML (+140)
DET -1.5 (+140) | SEA +1.5 (-169)
O/U 6.0 Goals
Despite Seattle’s recent surge on the defensive end, this matchup consistently produces offense. The two teams have never combined for fewer than six goals, and all eight of their meetings have gone over the total. They’ve posted at least seven goals in five straight matchups, and four of the last five have featured eight or more. When these clubs face off, scoring is the expectation and Detroit’s Dylan Larkin should be at the center of it.
The Michigan native has appeared in all eight of Detroit’s games against Seattle and has made an impact every time, recording points in all eight contests. His totals sit at three goals and nine assists for 12 points, with three multi-point outings. He should also get a boost from linemate Alex DeBrincat, who enters this matchup on a five-game point streak against Seattle, tallying three goals and two assists over that span.
We can also expect a huge bounce back game from the 21-year-old Marco Kasper, who has been more than cold this season, dropping for the second line to the third thanks to three points in 19 games this season. However, Seattle is one matchup he's routinely taken advantage of with a goal and two assists for three points in two games versus the Kraken. He should be able to bounce back in a big way Tuesday and hopefully get rookie Nate Danielson his first point.
For Seattle, they will need some scoring out of their top unit led by center Matty Beniers. The 2022-23 Calder Trophy winner has been lethal versus the Red Wings with a pair of goals and six assists for eight points in six career games against Detroit with three multi-point games. Beniers is just two points off the Kraken's team leader in points in Jaden Schwartz with 12 on the season through 18 games and will look for a big performance Tuesday in a matchup he normally excells in.
Goalie Matchup
Detroit: Cam Talbot (Season: 7-2-0 record, 2.71 GAA, .896 SV% | VS SEA: 5-3-0 record, 2.69 GAA, .903 SV% in eight games)
Seattle: Philipp Grubauer (Season: 3-0-1 record, 2.20 GAA, .903 SV% | VS DET: 4-1-1 record, 2.27 GAA, .917 SV% in six games)
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