Red Wings-Flyers Tweetcap: Detroit doubles up Flyers in Philly

The Detroit Red Wings needed to make their own hay over the course of their final 8 games of the 2025-2026 regular season, and that began with the second of three showdowns with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Philadelphia entered Thursday night’s game with a 37-25-and-12 record for 86 points, and Detroit stood at 39-27-and-8 for 86 points, tied as both teams chased Wild Card spots–and tied with the Ottawa Senators, who also possessed 86 points heading into Thursday’s games.

But the Wings don’t play the Sens again, so stonight and next Thursday’s games vs. Philadelphia = “must-win” games for Detroit.

On Thursday Night at XFinity Mobile Arena, the Red Wings scratched, clawed and battled their way out to a 4-2 victory that was heartening and a huge relief after the Wings’ egg-laying vs. Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Ultimately, Detroit won 4-2 thanks to a pair of goals by Alex DeBrincat, a Lucas Raymond marker and a goal from Patrick Kane that gave Kane the all-time American scorer’s record…

And John Gibson was fantastic after playing bad in Pittsburgh, stopping 32 of 34 shots.

See below for more!

PREGAME: John Gibson and Samuel Ersson led their respective teams out onto the ice…

Philly Hockey Now’s Will James will provide the Flyers’ lines as the team only reveals its starters:

The Red Wings changed up their defensive pairings before the game, so things looked different as the Wings revealed their lineup just before puck drop:

But there’s this to think about as well:

1ST PERIOD:

The teams dressed the following starters and lineups:

PENALTY: Porter Martone sat for cross-checking at 6:23 of the 1st period, incurring said penalty during a net-front scrum with David Perron.

The Flyers are also big on physical play, as a team and as a social media team…

PENALTY: Sean Couturier was tripped by Ben Chiarot into Dylan Larkin, who tumbled, and the Flyers headed to the penalty box at 18:42 of the 1st period.

GOAL: Detroit won the faceoff in the offensive zone, worked the puck around to Moritz Seider at the right point, he fed it to Patrick Kane at the right wing half boards, Kane fed Alex DeBrincat in the very high slot and DeBrincat ripped a shot through Samuel Ersson to make it 1-0 Detroit.

Detroit 1, Philadelphia 0: DeBrincat (38) from Kane (35) and Seider (45) at 18:49 1st, PPG.

And in the milestone department…

2ND PERIOD:

GOAL: The Flyers managed to tie the game only 31 seconds into the 2nd period. Off a Simon Edvinsson pinch, Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane got caught below the goal line, Trevor Zegras fired the puck to Owen Tippett, who fanned on his shot, but the puck rolled to Tyson Foerster, who ripped a shot over John Gibson.

Detroit 1, Philadelphia 1: Foerster (11) from Tippett (22) and Zegras (38) at 31 seconds 2nd period.

INJURY: Around 16:00 of the 2nd period, Ken Daniels noted that Justin Faulk was absent from the Red Wings’ bench.

GOAL: Off a J.T. Compher breakaway that was stopped by Ersson, Simon Edvinsson made a fantastic pinch, worked through a Flyer to the right wing half boards, Edvinsson centered the puck to J.T. Compher, and the puck went off Compher’s stick to Lucas Raymond, who RIPPED a shot through Ersson to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead.

Detroit 2, Philadelphia 1: Raymond (25) from Compher (15) and Edvinsson (14) at 18:29 2nd period.

3RD PERIOD:

INJURY UPDATE: Just before the 3rd period began…

PENALTY: Lucas Raymond was called for a wee hook at 1:48 of the 3rd period, affording the Flyers a power play.

GOAL: The Flyers were out-shooting Detroit 12-1 when Albert Johansson flicked the puck out to center ice, Andrew Copp tapped the puck through two colliding Flyers and fed it to Patrick Kane, who walked up the left wing and scored at 9:37 of the 3rd.

Detroit 3, Philadelphia 1: Kane (14) from Copp (31) and Johansson (8) at 9:37 3rd period. Shots 12-2 Philly in the 3rd thus far.

GOAL: Sadly, the Flyers got a 3-2 marker when Porter Martone flickered the puck toward the net and Travis Konecny tipped it home…Just before Jacob-Bernard Docker and Konecny ran into John Gibson, tripping up the Wings’ goaltender.

The call on the ice was “NO GOAL,” but the Flyers challenged, and they called it a goal.

Detroit 3, Philadelphia 2: Konecny (27) from Martone (1) and Dvorak (31) at 10:29 3rd period.

GOAL: Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat took the board bounce off a sweepy Andrew Copp fanned shot, turned around and swept the puck off a Flyers defenseman and over Ersson at 10:44, 15 seconds after the Konecny goal.

Detroit 4, Philadelphia 2: DeBrincat (39) from Copp (32) and Kane (36) at 10:44 3rd period.

GOALIE PULL: With 2:15 left in the 3rd, Samuel Ersson was pulled from the net.

STATISTICS: Here are the Game Summary and Event Summary:

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!