The Red Wings get the Flyers tonight in Detroit with both teams carrying very different kinds of early-season trouble. Detroit comes in at 1-3-2, while Philadelphia is still searching for its first win at 0-5-3. The Flyers were one of last season’s surprise stories after making the playoffs and then knocking out Pittsburgh in the first round, but this year has been a grind offensively.
Philadelphia has been outscored 30-10 through its first eight games, and only Matvei Michkov and Christian Dvorak have more than one goal. Travis Sanheim is already minus-9, a rough number that reflects how often the Flyers have been chasing the game.
Their defense remains shorthanded, too. Cam York will miss his fourth straight game, and Rasmus Ristolainen will sit out his fifth.
The injury list also includes Nikita Grebenkin, who is expected to miss at least four months with an upper-body injury, and Travis Konecny, who is on the IR with a lower-body injury. Ristolainen is listed as close to returning, but not for tonight.
Detroit, meanwhile, is leaning on Alex DeBrincat to carry the attack. He leads the Red Wings in goals with four, points with four and plus-minus at +7.
He also recently agreed to a seven-year contract worth an average of $13 million per season. DeBrincat needs two more goals to become the fourth Michigan native to reach 300 in the NHL, and he currently trails Mike Modano (561), Brian Rolston (342) and Kyle Connor on the Michigan goals list.
He can also become just the second player from the 2016 draft class to hit 300 goals, joining Auston Matthews, who has 432.
Dylan Larkin is still trying to get rolling. After a strong first game, he has gone three straight without a point, something that may be tied to the injury that kept him out of training camp. The Red Wings are also giving Nate Danielson a look alongside Larkin, hoping he can help provide offense at this level.
John Gibson is projected in goal for Detroit, with Daniil Tarasov backing up. The Flyers are expected to start Joseph Woll, with Dan Vladar as the backup.
Detroit’s projected lines have Danielson with Larkin and Victor Arvidsson, DeBrincat with Emmitt Finnie and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Michael Rasmussen between Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond, and Keegan Kolisar with Sheldon Dries and Carter Mazur. On the blue line, the pairs are Albert Johansson with Moritz Seider, Ben Chiarot with Anton Johansson, and William Wallinder with Justin Faulk. The listed subs are Andreas Englund, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Axel Sandin-Pellikka.
For Philadelphia, Travis Sanheim is paired with Oliver Bonk, Nick Seeler with Jamie Drysdale, and Simon Benoit with David Jiricek.
A few other notes are worth keeping in mind. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is now the third Norwegian in the NHL, joining Emil Lilleberg and Mats Zuccarello.
MBN also helped Norway win a bronze medal at the 2026 World Championships. Detroit’s injury report includes Marco Kasper, who is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Mason Appleton, who is also week-to-week with an upper-body injury, and JT Compher, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed issue.
In Other News...
Red Wings Are Fueling A Roster Debate Fans Cant Ignore
The Red Wings keep stirring up the same question at a time when they should be sorting out the future: how much runway should the younger players get before the veterans reclaim the spotlight? William Wallinder had put together a pair of steady outings, and Danill Tarasov turned in the teams best goaltending performance in Montreal, yet Detroits recent choices have continued to tilt toward familiar names and proven experience.
For a team trying to build something sustainable, those decisions are hard for fans to ignore because they shape more than one game. Wallinder has been sitting after showing he can contribute, while Tarasovs strong night did not appear to move the needle in a crease that still seems to favor the established order, leaving the broader roster debate very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings May Have Found The Identity Forward They've Been Missing
Michael Brandsegg-Nygrd has quickly given the Red Wings a look they have been searching for, bringing a heavier edge to a forward group that has needed more bite. Playing alongside Alex DeBrincat and Emmitt Finnie, he has emerged as one of Detroits most effective forwards by combining physical play with real impact in the offensive zone, giving the line a different kind of pressure than the club has sometimes lacked.
The fit has been noticeable beyond the hits, too, because the trio has spent a lot of time controlling the puck when deployed together at five-on-five. Todd McLellan has been encouraged by Brandsegg-Nygrds style, and Detroit now has a young forward whose game seems to complement skill rather than just support it, which is exactly the kind of identity piece teams tend to keep close once they find one. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have A Carter Bear Decision To Make
The Red Wings early-season problems have already forced some uncomfortable conversations about their defensive pairings and a lineup that has not generated enough offense. In that search for answers, prospects Carter Bear and Jesse Kiiskinen have become names worth watching, with Bear standing out for the edge in his game and the kind of compete level coaches tend to notice.
Bears path has been a little more complicated than he likely expected after spending much of the summer training in Detroit and aiming to crack the opening-night roster. A preseason injury pushed his NHL timeline back, but he has kept pressing forward since then, and the organization now has to weigh how soon it wants to lean on his upside as the offense continues to search for a spark. [Read more 🡒]