The Winnipeg Jets didn’t need long to seize control in Detroit on Sunday. Three straight power-play goals built a 3-0 cushion, and that early surge held up in a 3-2 win over the Red Wings.
Kyle Connor did the heavy lifting on the man advantage, scoring twice on power plays and finishing with three points. Cole Perfetti also cashed in with a power-play goal and ended the night with three points of his own. Winnipeg scored on each of its first three power plays, and that was enough to put the game in the Jets’ pocket.
Detroit did get a couple back. Viktor Arvidsson scored on the power play for his first goal as a Red Wing, and Emmitt Finnie added another. But the comeback never got all the way there, leaving the Red Wings 0-2 to open the season.
For Detroit, this is unfamiliar ground. It’s the first time in more than a decade that the Red Wings have started a season 0-2, and they haven’t dropped consecutive regulation games to begin a year since the 2015-16 season. That year began with a 6-4 loss at Tampa Bay and a 4-1 defeat at Florida.
Both losses this season have come at home, too, and the Red Wings are now 3-10-3 in their last 16 home games.
The lineup was a little unusual for Detroit with Marco Kasper injured, as the team went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. That setup looked shaky early when Keegan Kolesar had to enter concussion protocol for most of the first period after taking a bad beating in a fight with Winnipeg’s Tyrel Bauer. Kolesar did return in the second period, though, and Andreas Englund made his Detroit debut as the seventh defenseman.
Arvidsson’s goal ended Detroit’s scoreless start at 96:52. If you go back to last season’s 8-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in the finale, the Red Wings had gone 120:42 without scoring.
The bigger issue for Detroit through two games has been the special teams split. The club wanted to be better at five-on-five this season, and so far the numbers are a strange mix: four power-play goals allowed and one empty-net goal against, with no five-on-five goals surrendered and one scored. So, um, mission accomplished?
The Red Wings get back to work Tuesday with an Atlantic Division matchup against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
In Other News...
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Marco Kasper Concern After Opening Night
Marco Kaspers opening night with the Red Wings already came with a jolt, and now Detroit has a little more reason to keep an eye on its young center. Kasper is dealing with an upper-body injury, which is the kind of early-season issue that can quickly alter a teams plans, especially for a player still trying to carve out a bigger role.
The concern is not just the absence itself, but how it arrived in a game where Kasper was involved physically and left the kind of impression that tends to linger beyond the final buzzer. Detroit is still sorting through its lineup options, and with the schedule moving fast, the Red Wings are already facing an immediate question about how long they may have to manage without him. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have Another Core Player Standoff To Solve
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Edvinssons situation is especially notable because he has already returned to Sweden and is back with Frolunda HC after training camp. For Detroit, that only adds to the awkward timing of a negotiation that is supposed to help settle the blue lines future, not cloud it further. Instead, the Wings are left trying to sort out whether one of their promising defensemen will eventually be part of the long-term plan or become the next unresolved issue on a team that cant afford many more. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face One Costly Question In Any Lucas Raymond Pursuit
Detroits summer has already carried enough turbulence to make any new trade rumor land with extra force. With captain Dylan Larkin already having asked out and defenseman Simon Edvinsson still unsigned while reportedly preferring a move, the Red Wings are staring at a messy stretch in which almost anything feels possible as the organization tries to sort out its next direction.
That is why the Lucas Raymond chatter has drawn so much attention, especially with Edmonton floated as a possible partner if Detroit ever decides to take a bigger swing at a rebuild. Any pursuit would have to clear a steep price, and the kind of return being discussed would be the sort of package that forces both sides to think hard about timing, fit, and how much pain they are willing to absorb for a player with Raymonds upside. [Read more 🡒]