RECAP: Red Wings kick off four-game road trip by pulling off third-period comeback, earn a point in 4-3 shootout loss to Kraken

SEATTLE – Departing the Pacific Northwest with their point streak still intact, the Detroit Red Wings scored three unanswered third-period goals before ultimately dropping a 4-3 shootout decision to the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Tuesday night.

“Huge battle back,” said Alex DeBrincat, who scored the game-tying goal on the power play with 16 seconds left in regulation. “Huge to get that point. Probably would’ve liked a little more energy in the first two periods, but good for us for not giving up and getting the point. Obviously, we would’ve liked two, but it’s a big point for us.”

Behind 24 saves from goalie Daniil Tarasov, Detroit (3-3-3; 9 points) has picked up at least a point in five consecutive contests - its longest such streak since a five-game stretch from Jan. 16-24, 2026. Netminder Philipp Grubauer finished with 22 saves for Seattle (6-3-1; 13 points).

“I thought we put ourselves in a position where we got frustrated (in the first two periods),” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “That was taking a lot of energy out of the game. We weren’t connected. We were upset, for lack of a better term, with our play. We talked about it between the second and third, and got a goal. That broke the ice for us, then we started coming back. We have a pretty resilient group.”

Detroit unfortunately found itself trailing at the start of the first intermission for the sixth time in its first nine games this season, as Chandler Stephenson sprung Mackie Samoskevich and the latter’s wrist shot from the high slot beat Tarasov to push Seattle in front 1-0 at 6:45. Both sides also had a power play in the first period, but neither cashed in.

Early in the second period, the Red Wings extinguished 58 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage for the Kraken but couldn’t do the same of the subsidiary 5-on-4 time. Ryker Evans was all by himself in the high slot when the puck got to him following a defensive-zone turnover by Detroit, and the 24-year-old defenseman potted a wrist shot to make it 2-0 just 3:22 into the action.

Then at 16:01, Brandon Montour got the puck after Berkly Catton’s face-off win and snapped home a shot to pad the hosts’ lead to 3-0.

“They were on top of us,” DeBrincat acknowledged. “They played a good game. They played well defensively, but I think it just took us a little too long. We were getting frustrated. The message going into the third was put the frustration aside and just keep going. So, I thought we did a good job of that. But, like I said, the first two periods put us in that hole and we should’ve been better.”

In addition to delivering that message during the second intermission, McLellan shuffled the forward lines to open the third period. His move paid off, as Detroit not only recorded 13 shots in the final frame after totaling only 11 in the first two but also found the back of the net three times in a span of less than 14 minutes.

The comeback began 6:25 into the third when Seattle gave the puck away in the neutral zone and Detroit raced the other way on a rush. Emmitt Finnie fed Arvidsson at the top of the right face-off circle, and the 33-year-old forward slid toward the slot then snapped a shot past Grubauer. Albert Johansson also picked up a secondary assist on Arvidsson’s fourth goal of the season, which cut it to 3-1.

“He was making plays and winning puck battles in the corner, and I think we had a lot of chances,” DeBrincat said of Arvidsson. “Made some good plays to the slot there and obviously his goal was big for us to get started.”

Just 59 seconds later, the Red Wings made it 3-2. Working from a sharp angle below the left face-off circle while on a power play, Lucas Raymond followed up on his own shot from near the goal line and slipped it behind Grubauer for his first goal of the season. The assists went to DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin.

“It feels good,” Raymond said. “I thought it was nice to get one of those and obviously get it to a one-goal game.”

With Detroit on the power play and Tarasov on the bench for an extra attacker, Vince Dunn couldn’t corral a bouncing puck deep in Seattle’s defensive zone. Raymond grabbed the puck and pushed it to Larkin, who one-timed it over to DeBrincat for the finish. It was DeBrincat’s sixth goal of the campaign and 300th of his NHL career.

DeBrincat, who also netted the equalizer on Oct. 17 versus the San Jose Sharks, became the first player in franchise history to score the game-tying goal in the final two minutes of regulation in consecutive games.

“Great play by the other two guys to get it there,” DeBrincat said. “I think that just shows we’re going to play until the last second and keep going no matter what’s going on in the game.”

Neither squad scored in overtime, and in the shootout Gaudreau and McMann converted for Seattle while Arvidsson had Detroit’s only goal.

“I thought our game (in the third period) was the way we should’ve played for the first two,” Raymond said. “A point is always a point. Good to get one at the start of a long road trip and get ready for the next game.”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will take on the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Thursday night.

POSTGAME QUOTES

McLellan on what led to Detroit feeling frustrated during first two periods

“We weren’t scoring. We were getting scored on. We didn’t have many chances… You can feel it, and they’re human beings. That’s what happens. We needed to break, to regroup and found a way to dig ourselves out of it.”

McLellan on Raymond scoring his first goal of the campaign

“He’s so important to our team. He was a little more involved tonight. He looked dangerous. We got the goal, so it’s something to build on from the other night in the shootout. So, let’s hope he keeps going.”

McLellan on his club’s puck control and confidence

“We’ve been touching the puck a lot and fumbling it a little bit. And to me, that’s just sometimes a lack of confidence. You’re trying to talk to the players about feeling good about it, about having the puck, slow it down, look around, make the next play. But the pucks were rolling off our tape. It’s been going on for a little bit, but we got to solve it.”

DeBrincat on what he think turned the Red Wings’ night around

“I think just being simple, getting it in, forechecking a little bit better and getting pucks back. That’s when we got most of our o-zone time. Obviously, couple odd-man rushes. (Arvidsson) buries that one and that gets the energy up, and gets us going.”

Raymond on DeBrincat’s late equalizer

“It came off kind of hot off the bounce, and I looked up and saw (Larkin). He made a hell of a play to (DeBrincat), who put it in the net. Big goal for our team, obviously 300 for (DeBrincat) is a huge accomplishment as well.”