Perhaps the biggest area of concern for the Detroit Red Wings during the 2024-25 campaign was their penalty killing, which flirted with being the lowest ranked in NHL history since the stat began being tracked in the late 1970s.
The good news for the Red Wings among other things during their 9-5 start to the 2025-26 campaign is that their penalty killing efficiency has vastly improved.
Their penalty killing is humming along at a robust 87.2 percent efficiency, good for fifth overall in the NHL.
They've also maintained one of the better power-plays in the NHL, currently ranked 10th overall at 22.7 percent efficiency.
When asked what he believes the biggest differences between this season and last season in terms of penalty killing that have lent themselves to such an improvement, head coach Todd McLellan said he believes it begins between the pipes.
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"It starts with goaltending," McLellan said following Thursday's practice. "They have to make the expected save and then on the penalty kill, the goaltenders have to make the unexpected saves and we've been getting some of that."
"We've made some changes with our structure and our approach, the way we roll some players out, and it was just a clean sheet," he continued. "It was a clean starting sheet at the beginning of the year, we started all over. We paid attention to it, and we got off to a good start. All those things lend to a bit more confidence, and there's a long way to go."
The argument can be made that the Red Wings could potentially have attained a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season had their penalty killing been even average. Right now, it's among the best in the NHL, something they'd like to maintain.
"We'd like to maintain that position and that number if we can, but it takes a lot of work," McLellan said.
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