The Red Wings shut down the idea of any of their upcoming games against opponents with lesser records as being a "trap"-style game.
The Detroit Red Wings are riding high right now, enjoying a five-game winning streak and finding themselves at the top of the standings in both the highly competitive Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.
Their most recent victory was a 4-2 triumph over the visiting Edmonton Oilers, during which rookie forward Emmitt Finnie scored his first two goals in the NHL while team captain Dylan Larkin matched a career-high with four total points.
Now, Detroit takes their show on the road for consecutive games against the Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders, both of whom are close to the bottom of their respective divisions.
Just because the Red Wings have the superior record in the early goings of the season doesn't mean they can afford to look past either opponent.
"We don't have the luxury of looking at it that way, we know where we're at and where we want to get to," forward James van Riemsdyk explained following Tuesday afternoon's practice. "It's that consistent approach no matter who we're playing. We've all been playing hockey long enough to know that any given team on any given night, you can throw the standings out the window in a one-game scenario."
"We'll have to be ready and execute the way we've been executing, there's really no shortcut around that."
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Defenseman Moritz Seider echoed van Riemsdyk's sentiments while also stating that he's noticed a unique playing style that the Sabres employ that sometimes brings out some additional emotions on the part of the Red Wings.
"I think those games are always a little different, there are more emotions than other games, especially because they have such an interesting playing style of almost lingering behind and waiting for easy offense and you have to be prepared," Seider said. "We have to be dialed in right from the start and make it hard for them to create chances. We'll have a good chance."
The season series between the Red Wings and Sabres has been highly competitive for the last several seasons, though in 2024-25, Detroit earned six of a possible eight points in their head-to-head matchups against them.
Head coach Todd McLellan affirmed the notion of his players that they don't buy into the idea of a so-called "trap" game.
"I don't buy the trap game theory at all," McLellan said. "Every team in the NHL is very skilled and talented and has a chance to win on any given night."
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Regardless of their early season record or how long they've been on the outside looking in at the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Sabres are still a skilled team that Detroit doesn't view as an opponent to take lightly.
"It's not like we've been in first place for the last seven years and they've been out of it and we wheel into town like we own the place," McLellan continued. "That's not who we are, we compete with them for every inch and every point possible, so I don't think our minds can go there one bit."
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