The Detroit Red Wings are tied as the top team in the Eastern Conference. The Wings are 9-4-0 on the year, which has caused excitement for the team's fan base. Regardless of the hot start, fans need to hold back on their excitement for the season as a whole.
While a 9-4 start to the 2025-26 campaign is terrific, the road record is not nearly as good. The Red Wings are 4-3 away from home this season. In their six home games this year, the team has scored 23 goals, good for 3.83 goals per game. Meanwhile, in their seven road games, they have scored just 19 goals, good for less than three goals per game.
The Red Wings have struggled on the road
The issue has been a lack of production from depth on the team while on the road. Of the 42 total goals the team has scored this year, 36 of them have come from forwards. Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, and Lucas Raymond have accounted for 16 of the 36 goals, which is 44.4 percent of the overall goal production by forwards.
At home, the production is a team effort. Of the 23 goals scored at home, 19 of them have been by forwards. The trio of Larkin, DeBrincat, and Raymond has accounted for seven of those 19 goals, just 36.8 percent. On the road, 17 of the 19 goals are by forwards, but the top trio accounts for 52.9 percent of the goals scored by non-blueline players on the road. If the depth at the forward position cannot produce goals outside of home ice, the team will continue to lose and will not make a deep run this year.
Meanwhile, the defense has been an issue regardless of home or away, but has been worse on the road. The team is currently tied for 20th in the NHL in goals-against per game at 3.15 goals against per game. That jumps up to 3.57 goals against per game on the road. The Red Wings missed the playoffs last season with a 3.16 goals-against average, and the defense is just as bad this year.
John Gibson has mostly been a disappointment
The Red Wings had an issue with goaltending in 2024-25, as the team was led by Cam Talbot in the net. The team traded for John Gibson to help fix the situation. That has not gone well so far. Gibson was pulled in the first game of the season after allowing five goals on just 13 shots against the Montreal Canadiens. Overall, he is just 4-3-0 on the year with a 3.32 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage.
In 2024-25, no goaltender with a goals-against average of 3.00 or worse made the playoffs. Gibson was expected to improve the situation, but he has been unable to supplant Talbot as the top goaltender for the team. While the offense has been solid, primarily at home, it is not going to carry them throughout the entire season. Gibson has also had some strong starts, but all things considered, it's been a disappointing beginning to his tenure in Motown.
Overall, a 9-4-0 record is great for the Red Wings, but it is not going to hold without fixing some glaring weaknesses, and it could lead to some disappointed fans in the Motor City. Let's see if Detroit can keep the hot streak going, or if they will begin to fade as the 2025-26 campaign goes on.
