Skeptics doubted Detroit's depth scoring and goaltending. Now, a star goalie's revival and balanced scoring fuel their stunning NHL turnaround.
The Detroit Red Wings delivered another statement performance Saturday night, blanking the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 in a win that further cemented one of the most dramatic turnarounds the franchise has seen in years.
Early in the season, skepticism surrounded Detroit despite a strong start in the standings. Much of that success was driven by sensational performances from the team’s stars Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond.
While the top line carried the offense, doubts lingered about whether the Red Wings had enough depth scoring to sustain success. Concerns were even greater in goal, where inconsistent play had plagued the organization for years and many believed it would once again hold the team back.
Those doubts have now been flipped on their head.
The turning point may have come on day two of the 2025 NHL Draft, when Detroit acquired star goaltender John Gibson.
Expectations were high, with fans hoping Gibson could become the team’s best netminder since the Stanley Cup years of Chris Osgood. The early results, however, were discouraging. Through his first 13 starts with the Red Wings, Gibson went 4-7-1 with a 3.59 goals against average and a .865 save percentage.
Since then, everything has changed.
Gibson has been one of the NHL’s best goaltenders over the past two months, posting a league-best 12-2-0 record with a 2.01 goals against average and a .932 save percentage over his last 14 starts. The 32-year-old is not only looking like his former self, but increasingly resembles the goaltender in his prime when he captured the William M. Jennings Trophy during the 2015-16 season.
While Gibson’s resurgence has stabilized the back end, Detroit’s offensive evolution has been just as important.
Through the first 27 games of the season, the Red Wings had only three players averaging a point per game or more, all of them the expected names in Larkin, DeBrincat and Raymond. Only five players were producing at better than a half-point-per-game pace.
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Since then, the dynamic has shifted dramatically. Over the last 19 games, Detroit now has eight players averaging a point per game, many of them coming from the depth ranks.
Larkin, who carried the team early, has taken a step back statistically with 12 points in his last 19 games. Instead of exposing weakness, that drop-off has highlighted Detroit’s newfound balance. Andrew Copp has enjoyed a breakout stretch with 17 points over the same span, while veteran forward James van Riemsdyk, signed this past offseason, has added 13 points in his last 16 games.
The surge has extended to the blue line as well. Highly touted offensive defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka is beginning to deliver on his potential, recording 11 points over the 19-game stretch and becoming an increasingly important part of the Red Wings’ attack.
It remains to be seen whether Detroit can maintain its current pace over the long haul. But with scoring now coming from all four lines and elite goaltending anchoring the team, the Red Wings no longer look like a club surviving on star power alone. If this formula holds, Detroit may be looking at its strongest and most complete team in more than a decade.
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