The Detroit Red Wings have come up strong in clutch moments so far in 2026-27. Monday night's win was no different.
So far in 2026-27, the Red Wings have come up big in the final two minutes of a game three times.
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Per The Canadian Press at Vernon Matters, "It was the third time this season that Detroit has scored a game-tying goal in the final two minutes of regulation, which stands as the most among all clubs."
Pretty impressive, considering how far behind the eight ball the Red Wings supposedly were when the season started in early October. Detroit is now 5-4-3 with 13 points, and one big reason is their ability to come up big late in games.
Even more impressive? This all occurred within the last two weeks. So the trend is that the Red Wings are playing better hockey when the stakes are at their highest.
Red Wings Have Been Impeccable Late In Games
This late-game surge first occurred on Oct. 17 vs. the San Jose Sharks
, when Alex DeBrincat scored at the 18:27 mark and forced overtime. The Red Wings were actually down by two goals in the third period, but Emmitt Finnie knocked one in at 5:00 to cut Detroit's deficit. Detroit won that game in a shootout.
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The second came in the very next game on Oct. 20 against the Seattle Kraken
. DeBrincat was once again the hero, scoring at the 19:43 mark on the power play. Detroit was down 3-0 heading into the third period and looked finished, but Viktor Arvidsson and Lucas Raymond came up big earlier in the third frame. That set the stage for DeBrincat. Unfortunately, the Red Wings lost in a shootout.
Then on Monday night, rookie goaltender Michal Postava put Detroit in a position
to repeat. This time against the Edmonton Oilers
. Dylan Larkin played the hero, scoring at the 18:43 mark of the third period before Lucas Raymond won it in a shootout.
Do the math, and the Red Wings coming up big in the clutch has given them five of those 13 points this season.
Detroit's Ability To Tie Games Late May Be A Difference-Maker
The Detroit Red Wings are turning into a team that opponents can't count out. If they do, Detroit will make opponents pay. That late-game effort could pay dividends as the season wears on.
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If the Red Wings lost those three matchups in regulation and didn't pick up a point, they would be among the worst teams in hockey with eight points. The fact that they already gained five points because of late third-period comebacks in a single month implies what their ultimate points total could look like if they average three per month.
There are five full months of hockey left, and another half month. That's between 25 and 28 additional points if the Red Wings keep knotting things up late three times per month and win two of every three of those games in overtime or a shootout.
That said, they still need to up their overall points total besides these potential bonuses for coming up big late if they want to end their playoff drought. Still, Detroit is off to a much better start in 2026-27 because of their efforts.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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