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Red Wings’ Michael Brandsegg-Nygard boosts early Calder case with historic game-winner
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- Red Wings’ Michael Brandsegg-Nygard boosts early Calder case with historic game-winner
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Red Wings' Michael Brandsegg-Nygard boosts early Calder case with historic game-winner appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Detroit Red Wings earned a hard-fought divisional victory over the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday night — and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard was the catalyst.
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The rookie, who Detroit selected 15th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, scored the game-winning goal and added an assist in the 5-3 final.
It was a historic night for the 21-year-old, who became the youngest Norwegian player in NHL history to score a winning tally.
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He's the sixth player of Norwegian descent to score a game-winning goal, joining Mats Zuccarello (40), Emil Lilleberg (three), Patrick Thoresen (two), Espen Knutsen (two) and Andreas Martinsen (one), per NHL.com's George Richards.
It's been a strong start to the 2026-27 season for Brandsegg-Nygard, who is up to 10 points in 15 games while averaging over 15 minutes of ice time.
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He's put himself on the radar for the Calder Trophy — given to the NHL's best rookie — as he's now tied for third in rookie scoring, behind only James Hagens of the Boston Bruins and Gavin McKenna of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With Detroit leading 3-2 early in the third period, Brandsegg-Nygard took a pass from Lucas Raymond while rushing to the net, beating Florida netminder Jacob Markstrom to give the Wings a two-goal lead.
Although Sam Bennett made things interesting with the extra attacker late in regulation, that was as close as Florida would get.
"It's a tough building to play in," Brandsegg-Nygard told reporters afterwards, per Richards. "They played hard, but I thought we played hard right back. We played a good game, were solid in our (defensive) zone and took what we got."
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Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan had a more colorful way to describe what it's like to play against the Panthers, who are well known for their physicality.
"Anytime you play against this Florida team, it's done in the trenches," the bench boss said. "It's along the boards, net-front, heavy … you have to drag players around and stay in battles. I liked our effort and commitment to that, and, I thought it got better as the night went on."
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With the victory, the Wings improved to 7-5-3 . Although they remain in last place in the Atlantic Division, they've won six of 10 and begun to recover from a slow start.
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They'll look to win back-to-back games for just the third time this season when the road trip concludes against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
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