Red Wings Rubbing Opponents the Wrong Way

September 25, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Red Wings opened up their preseason home schedule with a bang, beating out the Buffalo Sabres 2-3 with an overtime goal from Alex DeBrincat.

While the Red Wings preseason exhibition matches haven’t been the highest scoring affairs outside of their 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team has certainly been padding the stat sheet in other areas.

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Detroit took another seven penalties tonight, bringing their total through three games to 21. So far though, the team’s new penalty kill unit has been able to match the challenge.

Good, clean hockey

The Red Wings have so far managed to skate through without giving up a single shorthanded goal this preseason, but expecting that kind of continual success is asking for trouble. Not to mention, having your best players off-ice, for any reason, isn’t usually recommended.

“We took a couple of lazy penalties today that we have to clean up.” Head coach Todd McLellan said. “We get to the regular season, we see the real power plays. We’ll get punished for that.”

The Red Wings have lost a lot of their offensive prowess in the offseason, and putting the defense on their back heels isn’t the way to help fix that problem. On the flip side, adding some sandpaper to the lineup and having your best players lead by example with it by dropping the gloves at the right time and place isn’t a problem at all in McLellan’s eyes.

Alex DeBrincat drops the gloves against Trevor Kuntar, who moments earlier, was rocked by Moritz Seider. #LGRW #RedWings pic.twitter.com/riPrCSP6MW
— Michael Whitaker (@mwhitaker_89) September 25, 2026

“I thought that showed leadership. Sometimes that triggers a guy to really get ready for the season.” McLellan said.

Balancing act

McLellan came into the this training camp preaching for his team to play harder, heavier, and faster in order to become a more difficult, or as he puts it, abrasive team. So far, despite the shortened schedule, the results of that coaching have been showing on ice.

“We[‘ve] got to come in with intensity and be ready to play because you only get two games… Obviously it got a little fesity out there, but, you know, that’s good for us.” DeBrincat said.

Playing with an edge is one thing, but McLellan knows that there’s a stark difference between playing hard and playing smart. Certainly Detroit’s intensity has ramped up, out-hitting their opponents tonight 18-14. That kind of attitude has to trickle down not only from the coach, but the top of the roster.

“Mo [Seider] finished heavy today and took a penalty. That’s part of being abrasive and hard.” McLellan said.

“We’ll have to live with some of that if we’re going to grow our team that way.”

For the Red Wings, keeping the intensity at that level until the end of the season will be the true challenge.

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