Daniil Tarasov Earning More Playing Time For Red Wings With Impressive Start

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After the Detroit Red Wings decided not to retain the services of 39-year-old veteran goaltender Cam Talbot, they needed an experienced backup behind John Gibson.

They found who they were looking for when they signed Daniil Tarasov, who played 2025-26 with the divisional rival Florida Panthers, to a one-year contract.

And so far, he's made the most of his playing time and has assuradly earned more starts.

Tarasov turned in another fine performance Thursday evening, stopping 17 of 18 shots from the Philadelphia Flyers in a 2-1 victory at Little Caesars Arena. He's now 1-0-1 with a sparkling 0.80 goals-against average, a .965 save percentage, and one shutout. 

In fact, both his GAA and save percentage are the best among all NHL goaltenders so far this season.

Although it’s a limited sample size, those are still impressive numbers. However, as he did after his first start in Montreal, he was quick to credit his teammates.

"I feel confidence, and obviously the guys did a tremendous job," Tarasov said. "They got more blocked shots than I had saves," he said with a chuckle. "They're playing the type of hockey (that makes it) easy for me.

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Detroit's victory ensured Philadelphia remained the NHL's only winless club to begin the season at 0-6-3, their worst start in franchise history. 

"Philly's had a tough start to the season, and they're trying to, you know, get their pace - for us, it was more clear," Tarasov said. "Don't make mistakes and give them chances so they can get it going. We did a pretty good job of denying the high-scoring chances tonight." 

While Tarasov hasn't been a workhorse goaltender who receives the majority of starts, he's learned to be ready whenever he's called upon.

"I've experienced that in past years, and I know how to manage it," he said. "It wasn't hard to just get into - just - working hard in every practice and be ready to help the guys."

Don't be surprised to see Tarasov be called upon more by head coach Todd McLellan, especially if he continues his impressive start to his Red Wings tenure. 

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