Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings are set to play their first road game of the 2025-26 NHL season on Monday afternoon, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. The matchup is the second in a home-and-home series between the two Original Six teams. Puck drop is scheduled for 2 p.m., with coverage available on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and 97.1 The Ticket.

Detroit, holding a 1-1-0 record with two points, aims to build on its recent 6-3 victory over Toronto. In that game, the Red Wings overcame a two-goal deficit after the first period by scoring three unanswered goals in the second and extending their lead in the third period. Key contributors included Patrick Kane with one goal and two assists, Alex DeBrincat with three assists, and Lucas Raymond who scored twice.

Reflecting on the team’s performance improvement from their season opener to their latest win, Mason Appleton said, “From Game 1 to Game 2, I thought we managed the game a lot better. We made a lot better puck decisions, better reads defensively, limited their speed and time with the puck. We just got to replicate that and have the same type of game plan because when we turned that switch in the second [period], it definitely worked.”

Appleton also commented on lessons learned early in the season: “Throughout every game, there’s kind of a theme. You either hurt or help yourself, and I think in Game 1 we gave up way too much and we knew that. A lot of it was self inflicted and a lot of that was corrected [on Saturday]. It’s learning for everyone, but you can’t shoot yourself in the foot five, six times in a game. You can only give up a few odd-man rushes, if that, and then from there you give yourself the best chance to win. [On Saturday], I thought we did a really good job of managing the game, controlling it and being predictable with risk-free hockey. We just got to do that again.”

As players continue to adapt to each other’s styles early in the campaign, head coach Todd McLellan noted ongoing adjustments within team systems: “Just when you feel comfortable, there’s something that comes up,” McLellan said. “When you’re playing well, you get to advance your game and take it a step further. When it’s not going well, you’re in repair mode and you never get to get ahead. For us to have success, we got to be able to advance a little bit. But right now, we’re keeping pretty simple.”

McLellan indicated there is “a good chance” veteran forward James van Riemsdyk could make his season debut against Toronto after skating alongside Appleton and Michael Rasmussen during practice at Little Caesars Arena’s BELFOR Training Center.

“He’s played a lot of years on a lot of good teams, so he’s got that stability of being that experience factor,” McLellan said about van Riemsdyk. “He’s a big man with good hands. Power play, in and around the net, he’s one of the better ones in the National League over the number of years that he’s played.”

Van Riemsdyk expressed readiness for his potential debut: “Obviously, there’s different chemistry within some of that sometimes with playing with different guys,” van Riemsdyk said. “Sometimes, you need some reps in a game to develop that sort of thing.”

As both teams look for an early advantage this season—each holding identical records—the Red Wings hope their recent adjustments will help them secure another win against Toronto.