Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings delivered a 6-4 victory against the Dallas Stars on Monday evening at Little Caesars Arena, providing a fitting finale to their 2024-25 home season. The event, coinciding with Fan Appreciation Night, was backed by Coke Zero Sugar and Meijer. The home fans, nicknamed the Hockeytown faithful, witnessed their team cap off the home season with a spirited performance.

The Red Wings secured the win with key contributions from Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, both achieving a goal and two assists each. Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots, while the Stars' goalie, Jake Oettinger, registered 31 saves.

“I think it means a lot to our fans who have supported the team through the whole year,” expressed Trent Yawney, Detroit's assistant coach. “But at the same time, for some of our younger players to continue to play the right way and execute properly.”

The game saw a back-and-forth of goals starting from the first period. Albert Johansson gave Detroit its first lead 4:27 into the game, with an assist from captain Dylan Larkin. Dallas briefly leveled the score with a goal from Lian Bichsel but Alex Debrincat regained the lead for the Red Wings with his 37th goal of the season.

“He’s big for our team,” shared Raymond about teammate Patrick Kane. “You see what he does on a game-to-game basis, but just the way he carries himself off the ice -- with a guy like that, you just try to soak in and learn as much as you can.”

The second period saw Dallas take a brief lead at 3-2 after Roope Hintz and Colin Blackwell scored for the Stars. Yawney noted a need to improve, saying, “There were 27 face-offs, and I think we lost 20 of them.”

During the third period, the tide turned in Detroit's favor with Raymond tying the score and later assisting Jonatan Berggren in regaining the lead. Berggren commented on his growth, stating, “I feel like I’ve become a better two way forward this season.”

As the period continued, Seider delivered in a power-play situation, and Raymond extended the lead. Though Dallas reduced the gap with a goal from Wyatt Johnston, Vladimir Tarasenko scored an empty-net goal securing the win.

“It’s about playing the right way and not losing some of the things we had in our game over the last little while,” Yawney remarked on the team's focus for the concluding games of the season.

The Red Wings will conclude the season with away games against the New Jersey Devils.

In postgame reflections, players and coaches expressed their motivations and reflections. Yawney asserted the need for execution, saying, "execution or excuses. Proud of the team that they executed." Raymond echoed the sentiment of appreciation for fans, calling the victory "pretty special." Berggren underscored the importance of ending the season positively, anticipating the challenge of upcoming games.

This match reflected the team's commitment to their fans and highlighted significant performances, setting a tone for wrapping up their season.