Red Wings Drop High-Scoring Thriller to Blue Jackets in Shootout
Let’s be honest — this game didn’t exactly have top billing last night. When the Lions are throwing haymakers at the Cowboys on national TV, even diehard Red Wings fans were probably flipping back and forth. But if you did tune in, you caught some wild, back-and-forth hockey that deserved its own spotlight.
If you like goals, Thursday night in Columbus delivered. If you were hoping for a clinic in defensive structure, sharp goaltending, or holding a lead… maybe look elsewhere. The Red Wings opened their six-game road trip with a chaotic, emotional rollercoaster — ultimately falling 6–5 in a shootout, their second straight OT letdown.
Quick Lions sidebar: I recorded my Mitten Minute during halftime and kept glancing at the Wings game. They were up 5–4 with seven minutes left, and I almost said on camera, “Detroit teams might go 2–0 tonight.” Something told me, don’t do it… this won’t age well. Sure enough, the Lions finished the job — and the Wings skated off with another overtime heartbreak. I ended up recording it just after midnight, and luckily I waited.
Back to the game— you’d assume when most of your top players score, you’re heading home with two points. Not this group. Last night reminded us how explosive this team can be — and how quickly defensive leaks can sink the whole thing.
📊 Red Wings at Blue Jackets
Final: Blue Jackets 6, Red Wings 5 (SO)
Red Wings Highlights
- Dylan Larkin: 1 G, 1 A
- Alex DeBrincat: 1 G (14th of the season)
- Moritz Seider: 2 A (200th career point)
Blue Jackets Highlights
- Adam Fantilli: Game-tying goal with 1:31 left
- Kirill Marchenko: Shootout winner
- Elvis Merzlikins: 33 saves
Game Notes
- Detroit went 3-for-5 on the power play
- Wings allowed 4+ goals for the 5th time in 6 games
- Detroit outshot Columbus 33-32
A Rollercoaster in Columbus
A Quiet First… Before Everything Went Off the Rails
The opening period was tame — cautious, structured, nothing like what was coming. Columbus struck late when Ivan Provorov’s point shot slipped through a screen, giving the Jackets a 1–0 lead.
Second Period Firestorm
The second period? Pure chaos. Six total goals, momentum swings everywhere, and a milestone in the middle of it.
Detroit tied it early when Dylan Larkin tipped home a shot for his 10th of the year — assisted by Moritz Seider, who logged his 200th NHL point on the play.
Columbus punched right back with two quick goals, jumping ahead 3–1. But Detroit’s power play answered with force:
- Lucas Raymond ripped one home to make it 3–2
- James van Riemsdyk cleaned up a net-front tip to tie it 3–3
By the time the horn sounded, the game was tied — but Detroit had grabbed control of the pace.
Third Period Drama… and a Familiar Finish
Columbus briefly regained the lead before Patrick Kane tied it with a signature wrister — the 496th goal of his Hall-of-Fame career. Moments later, Alex DeBrincat buried his 14th of the season to put Detroit up 5–4.
It felt like this might finally be the night Detroit held on.
But with the Blue Jackets’ net empty and time winding down, Adam Fantilli fired through traffic to tie it 5–5 with 1:31 left. Detroit generated chances in OT but couldn’t finish, and Kirill Marchenko ended it in the shootout.
Seider Joins the 200-Point Club
In the middle of the chaos, Moritz Seider hit a major milestone — becoming just the 11th defenseman in Red Wings history to reach 200 career points. He’s been a rock since the moment he arrived, and hitting this mark so early only reinforces his franchise-cornerstone status.
Seider shrugged it off afterward:
“I think the game gets easier the less you think about it. Things just come automatic. They happen instinctively.”
The Good: This Offense is back
Detroit’s offense has clearly woken up after last month’s slump — Raymond has pushed his point streak to seven games, the power play delivered two momentum-shifting goals, and depth scorers like JVR and Kane kept the pressure on. When you put up five on the road, that should be enough. But the defensive leaks are getting louder. The Wings have now allowed four or more goals in five of their last six outings, and it’s the way they’re giving them up — quick breakdowns, lost structure, and momentum swings — that continues to haunt this team. As Todd McLellan admitted afterward, they’re still searching for answers on how to close out games cleanly.
“We fell behind, had to come back… and in that case we got the shot off that we needed. Tonight, we didn’t, and it comes down to a crapshoot in a shootout.”
Goaltending Questions Are Back
Cam Talbot wasn’t awful — but he wasn’t good enough. Allowing five goals and losing in the shootout will always draw heat, especially when the defense in front of you is struggling.
With both Talbot and Gibson unable to lock down the crease consistently, the Sebastian Cossa conversation is getting louder.
At some point, Detroit may need to see what the kid can do.
Up Next: Seattle Awaits
No rest, no time to stew. Detroit heads to Seattle to face the Kraken on Saturday. If they can tighten up defensively without losing the offensive mojo, this road trip can still swing in the right direction.
Right now, though, the Wings are a team that is struggling to find rhythm and fans are struggling to understand if this team is good enough to finally break through.
What did you think of the game? Is it time to call up Cossa, or do the defensive struggles go deeper than just goaltending? Let me know in the comments, or join the conversation in the Red Wings Wheelhouse — where fans break down every game, every angle.
Info gathered from team reports, pressers & trusted media outlets — the way we always do it at Mitten Sports Talk.
