RECAP: Red Wings recognize 'incredible' fans, cap 2024-25 regular-season home slate with 6-4 win over Stars

DETROIT -- It was Fan Appreciation Night, presented by Coke Zero Sugar and Meijer, at Little Caesars Arena on Monday, and the Detroit Red Wings treated the Hockeytown faithful in attendance to an entertaining 2024-25 regular-season home finale by rallying past the Dallas Stars, 6-4.

“All the boys really took this game seriously,” Jonatan Berggren said. “The fans have been incredible for us all season, so really important to finish strong for them.”

The Red Wings (38-35-7; 83 points) were led by Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, who registered one goal and two assists apiece, while goalie Cam Talbot made 25 saves. In net for the Stars (50-25-6; 106 points), netminder Jake Oettinger finished with 31 saves.

“I think it means a lot to our fans who have supported the team through the whole year,” Detroit assistant coach Trent Yawney said. “But at the same time, for some of our younger players to continue to play the right way and execute properly.”

The Red Wings and Stars traded goals before the 10-minute mark of the first period, beginning with Albert Johansson’s third of the season just 4:27 after puck drop. Upon taking a pass from captain Dylan Larkin, Johansson found open space in the high slot and fired a wrist shot past Oettinger to give Detroit a 1-0 lead, its first of the night.

"He does have a really good, sneaky, hard shot," Yawney said about Johansson. "You see that in practice."

Berggren also assisted on the game-opening goal, ending a five-game pointless drought.

Dallas briefly tied the game with a goal from Lian Bichsel, who poked one home from close range, to make it 1-1 at 7:15. Then, at 13:52, Alex Debrincat gave Detroit a 2-1 advantage by capping off a highlight-reel passing sequence with Patrick Kane and Marco Kasper to record his team-leading 37th tally of the season.

Kane became the fourth active player to collect a point while appearing in his 1,300th career NHL game, joining Jordan Staal (Jan. 20, 2025), Brent Burns (Jan. 29, 2023) and Ryan Suter (Nov. 23, 2022).

“He’s big for our team,” Raymond said about Kane, who leads the Red Wings with 27 points in 25 games since the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. "You see what he does on a game-to-game basis, but just the way he carries himself off the ice -- with a guy like that, you just try to soak in and learn as much as you can.”

Deflecting Roope Hintz’s shot from the blue line, Evgenii Dadonov tied it 2-2 nine minutes into the second period. And 2:25 later, Colin Blackwell’s short-handed strike gave the Stars a 3-2 lead.

“I thought we were pretty sloppy in the second period,” Yawney said. “There were 27 face-offs, and I think we lost 20 of them. Most of their scoring chances came off the face-offs, and those are competitive situations. That’s something we talked about as coaches and what we had to change for the third period.”

Only 1:15 into the third period, Raymond fed Berggren across the ice, and he ripped a one-timer from the right face-off circle to tie things up 3-3.

“I feel like I’ve become a better two way forward this season,” said Berggren, who has scored 11 goals. “I know the offense will come, but it makes it easier when you play with those skilled guys."

Picking up a secondary assist on Berggren’s game-tying goal was Seider, who lit the lamp on a power-play opportunity to put Detroit back ahead 4-3 at 4:19 of the third period. It was Seider's eighth goal of the season, with Raymond and Larkin picking up the assists.

Continuing that momentum for the Red Wings, Raymond netted his 27th of the season to stretch their advantage to 5-3 at 9:49. He intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, flew up the ice and sent a shot from the left face-off circle past Oettinger.

Wyatt Johnston got Dallas’ deficit to 5-4 with 7:04 remaining in the final frame, but Vladimir Tarasenko scored on an empty net at 18:04 to give Detroit some late breathing room for the eventual 6-4 final. The assists on Tarasenko’s 11th goal of the season went to Michael Rasmussen and Seider.

“It’s about playing the right way and not losing some of the things we had in our game over the last little while,” Yawney said about how the Red Wings are approaching their final two regular-season games later this week. “Breaking out clean, defending with a purpose and the power play to continue doing what it’s been doing all year long. Our penalty kill has gotten better over time, so you want to continue to have those habits.”

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will finish off their campaign with a midweek back-to-back road set, first squaring off against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Wednesday night.

POSTGAME QUOTES

Yawney on if it can be difficult for players to feel that extra motivation after being eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoffs contention

"Absolutely. When you're pushing to get in and you don't get in then you still have a few games left, as coaches it's hard because you want them to be motivated. But at the same time, you're not crossing the line because, for myself, I've been in their shoes. I talked to the D this morning a little bit, and there's really only two forks in the road you can take: execution or excuses. Proud of the team that they executed."

Raymond on getting a win on Fan Appreciation Night

“Obviously, the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but to be able to get a win here on home ice in front of our fans means the world to us. It was a fun night, especially seeing them afterwards. It’s pretty special.”

Raymond on what Berggren brought to Detroit’s top line on Monday

“[Berggren] played really good tonight. Just with his vision and the way he skates, it brings an extra edge to the game. He sees the ice very well, so it was really fun to see him out there tonight.”

Berggren on finding more consistency on offense

“This was the first time I played with [Raymond] and [Larkin], and I felt like it went pretty good. They are skilled players, so I just give them the puck and they will handle it well. I’m pretty happy with this game.”

Berggren on the club’s upcoming back-to-back set and finishing this season on a positive note

“It’s huge for the group to end strong. That’s our goal these last two games, to play really good, and hopefully we will get two wins. It’s nice to end with good spirits, so it’s important.”