The Detroit Red Wings look like they’re finally getting their season on track after losing five of their first six games. Tonight in Seattle the Red Wings go for their third straight win.
The game against the 5-3-1 Kraken also kicks off a four-game western road swing, followed by stops in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
Before facing Seattle, the Red Wings announced a decision about which of their goaltenders will be minding the net to open the road trip.
Daniil Tarasov starts in goal for the Detroit Red Wings tonight against the Seattle Kraken, coach Todd McLellan said after Monday’s practice, according to Hockey.com.
Detroit’s usual starter, John Gibson, was in goal Saturday against San Jose in a 4-3 shootout win. McLellan said the remaining goaltending assignments on the trip will be decided with travel and fatigue in mind. Gibson has started six of Detroit’s eight games and is 2-3-1 with a 3.58 goals-against average and .873 save percentage, according to Hockey.com.
Detroit enters the Western swing at 3-3-2 with points in four straight games, and Tarasov seeks his first win against Seattle, according to Field Level Media.
Detroit played seven of its first eight games at home, so this is its first extended road sojourn.
Daniil Tarasov’s Stat Line and Seattle History
Tarasov has appeared in three games this season, two of them starts, and holds a 1-0-1 record with a 0.80 goals-against average and .965 save percentage, according to Hockey.com. He has made 55 saves on 57 shots and recorded one shutout.
Tarasov entered in relief of Gibson against Seattle on Oct. 9, stopping eight of nine shots. He made his first Red Wings start the next night in Montreal, stopping all 30 shots he faced before Detroit lost in a shootout, then beat Philadelphia 2-1 on Oct. 15 with 17 saves on 18 shots.
Tarasov is 0-3-0 in four career games against the Kraken, with a 4.77 goals-against average and .830 save percentage, according to Field Level Media. Seattle won the Oct. 9 meeting 6-3, with Frederick Gaudreau scoring twice in the victory, according to The Associated Press.
Philipp Grubauer Matchup and Tarasov’s Background
Seattle is expected to counter with Philipp Grubauer, a 34-year-old German goaltender who is 2-1-1 with a 2.71 goals-against average and .910 save percentage, according to Field Level Media. He stopped 37 of 40 shots in the Oct. 9 win in Detroit, according to Daily Faceoff, and is 5-1-1 in seven starts against the Red Wings with a 2.40 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.
Tarasov was born March 27, 1999, in Novokuznetsk, Russia, and his father, Vadim, also played goal professionally, according to CBS Sports. He won bronze with Russia at the 2019 World Juniors.
Columbus selected him in the third round, No. 86 overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft and traded him to the Florida Panthers on June 26, 2025 for a fifth-round pick, according to NHL.com.
He went 13-15-3 in 33 games with Florida in 2025-26, posting a 3.05 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.
Tarasov, a six-year veteran in his first season with Detroit, has played 101 NHL games with a 33-49-10 record.
Detroit’s projected lines against the Kraken have Viktor Arvidsson, Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on the first line and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Emmitt Finnie and Alex DeBrincat on the second, according to 32 Hockey Updates.
Michael Rasmussen, Andrew Copp and Carter Mazur form the third line, with Keegan Kolesar, Nate Danielson and Sheldon Dries on the fourth. Ben Chiarot and Moritz Seider, Justin Faulk and Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and William Wallinder and Albert Johansson make up the defensive pairs.
Jacob Bernard-Docker, Andreas Englund and Anton Johansson are scratched, while Mason Appleton, J.T. Compher and Marco Kasper are injured.
Red Wings Announce New John Gibson Decision Before Kraken Game