Red Wings Aiming for Fourth Straight Win Against Lightning

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings are looking to win their fourth consecutive game when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena on Friday night.

“It’s been a good start since Opening Night,” said Emmitt Finnie, a key player for Detroit. “I thought we’ve bounced back well our last three games. We’ve been taking it day by day and not riding the highs too high. We’re just looking forward to [Friday].”

The Red Wings, currently with a record of 3-1-0 and 6 points, are going into this match after a solid 4-1 victory over the two-time defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers on Wednesday. In contrast, the Lightning hold a 1-2-1 record with 3 points following a loss to the Washington Capitals in overtime earlier this week.

Today’s matchup is set to start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network, available at 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. Additionally, Friday’s game features a special event, Star Wars Night, with ticket packages including a limited-edition Star Wars jersey.

Head coach Todd McLellan praised his team’s performance in the first week of the 2025-26 season. “Wins aside, how we’ve been able to play a certain type of game is satisfying,” he said. “I thought we were competitive in that area [on Wednesday], and we have been the last four games.”

Injury concerns linger for the Red Wings as Lucas Raymond, who is dealing with an upper-body injury, practiced on Thursday afternoon. Although he participated in the morning skate, McLellan confirmed he would not be playing against the Lightning but is “getting better.”

The Lightning come into this game with two key players leading their offense: Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel, each with five points to date. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is still in search of his first win of the season, following a 28-save performance against the Capitals.

John Gibson, set to start in goal for Detroit, expressed confidence in the team’s growing cohesion. “We’re starting to click here now,” Gibson said. “Hopefully, we can just keep going and keep the streak going.”