The Detroit Red Wings will attempt to secure their fourth win in their last five outings when they face the Calgary Flames this evening (8:30 p.m. ET) at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
For the Red Wings, barring a matchup in the Stanley Cup Final this season or next, this will be their second-to-last visit to the historic venue that has been the home of the Flames since 1983, as they are set to move into the yet-to-be-completed Scotia Place in the fall of 2027.
However, there will be no time for nostalgia for Detroit, which hopes to start far better than it did on Monday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
Despite ultimately winning 4–0, the Canucks controlled long stretches of the game but were repeatedly denied by goaltender John Gibson, who delivered his best performance since joining Detroit on June 30, earning his first shutout since January 2023.
Speaking earlier this morning, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan noted the importance of getting off to a faster start than they did on Monday.
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"We better get our game going quickly, this team starts well at home and they're very competitive, similar to the two teams we just played," McLellan said.
"In Vancouver, we didn't have any skating legs," he said. "Our mindset is we have to be prepared to go right away and have legs to get us to places where we need to go, and that's to a man, it can't just be five or six guys."
Red Wings forward Marco Kasper picked up an assist as part of the win on Monday, which was not only his first helper of the campaign but his first point in 18 games.
McLellan believes that like many young players, Kasper's scoring drought may have gotten inside his head, thereby affecting his performance.
"I've been with Marco now for basically a year, his game has been tremendous but it tried up a little bit this year," he said. "I think he got into his head with offense and the ability to create...often a young player will do that, evaluate his impact on a game based on individual stats. Beyond that, he's playing really well and has a good checking game."
Kasper had a tremendous second half of the season in 2024-25, leading all rookies in scoring with 17 goals from January 10 through the final regular season game in April. He also came in fifth overall in total rookie point totals during that span.
However, Kasper has experienced an extreme sophomore slump with just four total points in the 30 games he's appeared in. Beginning the season on his usual spot centering the club's second line between Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, he's been since moved all up and down the lineup.
"It's just the psychology," McLellan said. "These young players get drafted often on their individual accomplishments, to get to the NHL, it's not always based on that. You have to find ways to bring different elements to their game."
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