The Detroit Red Wings lost 1-0 to the Montreal Canadiens. But the numbers are considerably stranger than the final score suggests.
According to Hockey-Reference, Daniil Tarasov technically recorded a shutout in his first start with the Red Wings. Tarasov and Canadiens’ goaltender Jacob Fowler went three periods and a five-minute overtime without allowing a goal, with Tarasov finishing 30-for-30.
Even more remarkably, the Canadiens had three apparent goals disallowed, including Alexandre Texier’s would-be overtime winner. It looked like the Hockey Gods were pulling for Detroit on Saturday, and it reveals that troubling trend:
The Red Wings have let two teams shut them out in their first five games.
Red Wings Scoring Has Been One Of The NHL’s Worst
The Red Wings have scored just 10 times this season, averaging 2.0 goals per game. Alex DeBrincat, who recently reached 600 points vs. the Seattle Kraken on Friday, is the only one playing at a point-per-game pace among players who have suited up for all five contests.
Last season, the Red Wings struggled to score at 5-on-5, but through five matchups in 2026-27, they have regressed. Detroit is converting 4.8 percent of its shots into goals at 5-on-5, nearly four percent under the NHL’s average of 8.7.
What’s more frustrating is that Detroit has spent plenty of time in the offensive zone. Its Corsi For Percentage is a healthy 55.9, and the Red Wings have 236 shots, blocked shots, and misses. That’s 10 above the league’s average of 226.
Want more irony? The Red Wings have had 40 high-danger chances — one more than the league average — and three goals off those high-danger chances. The latter number is on par with the NHL average.
While their 7.0 conversion percentage is 0.7 below average, the Red Wings have proven themselves capable of generating high-danger chances early. Not to mention, Detroit also has a 40-to-25 ratio of high-danger chances for vs. high-danger chances against. That equals a high-danger chances for percentage of 61.5.
Detroit’s Offense Gets Its Chances. It Can’t Convert
The Red Wings’ overall scoring chances sit at 111, slightly above the NHL average of 110. As with its high-danger chances, Detroit boasts an incredible 111-to-87 scoring chances for vs. scoring chances against — a 56.1 scoring chances for percentage.
In all situations, the Red Wings are converting just 6.1 percent of their shots into goals — including the power play, 4-on-4, 3-on-3, and when shorthanded. That’s 5.1 percent below the league average. If Detroit wants to prevent this season from getting out of hand quickly, it needs to convert the chances they’re getting into goals.
What’s even more startling is when you take out the 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Red Wings scored half their goals in that contest alone. That gives Detroit just five goals in its other four games, good for just 1.2 per contest. They won’t be defeating many teams if that awful trend continues.
If there is any room for optimism, it’s that Detroit is just five games into the 2026-27 season. It’s normal for certain statistics to look astronomically good or bad right now. And most of the time, things deviate closer to the median. This troubling trend could be short-lived once the Red Wings string together a few good showings offensively.
Red Wings’ Bizarre Double Shutout Reveals Troubling Early Trend