By The Numbers: Red Wings Scoring Breakdown Reveals League-Worst Point Shot Production

The Detroit Red Wings’ offense produced 239 goals this season, finishing 22nd in the NHL, but a deeper breakdown of how those goals were scored reveals a team with clear strengths and equally clear areas for improvement.

Detroit generated 154 of its 239 goals at even strength with 142 of those goals coming at five-on-five, the third-fewest total in the league. 

On the power play, however, the Red Wings were far more effective, tying for seventh in the NHL with 55 goals alongside the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens. That unit was led by Alex DeBrincat, who scored 15 power-play goals, followed closely by captain Dylan Larkin with 14. 

To round out their goal total, Detroit scored 21 empty netters, six goals with an extra skater and three goals coming shorthanded. 

When examining shot types, the wrist shot proved to be Detroit’s most common scoring method. The Red Wings scored 90 goals via the wrist shot, ranking 25th in the NHL, with Larkin leading the team with 17 such goals. 

The snap shot, however, was a more productive weapon with Detroit scoring 84 snap-shot goals, ranking ninth league-wide, with DeBrincat pacing the team at 16, making it one of the club’s most effective offensive tools.

The Red Wings were also above average in finishing plays around the net as they scored 25 tip-in goals, tied for 11th in the league alongside the Washington Capitals.

Contributions in this area were spread out, with six players tied for the team lead at three tip-ins each, including known net-front presence James van Riemsdyk.

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Detroit produced 22 backhand goals, ranking 13th in the NHL, with DeBrincat again leading the way with five. However, the team struggled significantly in generating offense from the blue line in traditional ways. 

The Red Wings scored just eight goals via the slap shot, tied for the fewest in the league with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Defenseman Moritz Seider led the team with only two slap-shot goals, underscoring a clear gap in point-shot production.

At the league level, Carolina set the standard in that category with 38 slap-shot goals, powered by six each from Andrei Svechnikov and Alexander Nikishin.

Detroit also lagged in other finishing categories as the Red Wings scored just four deflection goals, tying for 25th in the NHL, while the New York Rangers and Nashville Predators led the league with 13.

They added only three goals via batting pucks in, two off poke checks, and one highlight-reel through-the-legs goal from van Riemsdyk, one of just eight such goals scored across the entire league this season.

Overall, the breakdown shows a team that leaned heavily on snap and backhand shots and power-play execution, while lacking consistent production from point and wrist shots.

As Detroit looks ahead to next season, improving offensive diversity, particularly from the blue line and in front of the net, will be a key focus if the Red Wings want to climb the standings and become a more complete scoring unit.

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