Red Wings skate into first place with 4-0 win in Vancouver

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News on Dec 9, 2025

Published in Hockey

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The road is treating the Red Wings very kindly.

That would be the first place in the Atlantic Division, Red Wings, by the way.

At the halfway point of a season-long six-game road trip Monday in Vancouver, the Wings defeated the Canucks 4-0.

That gave the Wings the second win in three games (2-0-1) on this trip, with games in Calgary (Wednesday), Edmonton (Thursday) and Chicago (Saturday) remaining.

The victory also moved the Wings five games above .500 (16-11-3), and one point (35-34) ahead of both Tampa (16-11-2) and Boston (17-13-0). The Wings have earned points in five consecutive games (3-0-2).

Goaltender John Gibson stopped 36 shots and arguably played his best game with the Wings while recording his first shutout as a Red Wing.

Gibson was at his best in the first half of the game, with Vancouver carrying the play and enjoying two power plays, but Gibson made a variety of saves (an acrobatic stop on Jake DeBrusk, Gibson's best) to keep the Canucks without a goal.

Gibson then preserved the victory in the third period with the Canucks pressing, playing as confidently as he's looked in his first season with the Wings.

James van Riemsdyk opened the scoring late in the first period, his seventh goal and fifth in the last six games.

Andrew Copp (third goal) and Nate Danielson (second goal) scored 37 seconds apart in the second period, pushing the lead to 3-0. Axel Sandin-Pellikka assisted on both goals, while Marco Kasper earned his first assist of the season on Danielson's goal.

Copp made it 2-0 at 15 minutes, 15 seconds of the second period. Patrick Kane gained possession of the puck and fed Alex DeBrincat skating through the slot. DeBrincat found a wide open Sandin-Pellikka near the dot, who fed Copp for the tip net-front.

Danielson quickly made it 3-0. Sandin-Pellikka's shot from the point was tipped by Danielson net-front at 15:52, but Elmer Soderblom, who also played one of his best games of the season, made the play possible gaining control of the puck and holding on to it, before initiating the scoring play.

Van Riemsdyk opened the scoring, with a goal in his career-high fourth consecutive game. J.T. Compher caused a turnover behind the net, and pushed the puck into the slot where van Riemsdyk beat goaltender Kevin Lankinen at 14:14.

Dylan Larkin's empty-net goal, his 16th, closed out the scoring at 15:29 of the third period.

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