Overview
- John Gibson allowed five goals on 13 shots in his Red Wings debut and was replaced late in the second period by Cam Talbot.
- Jakub Dobeš, starting for Montreal on the second night of a back-to-back, stopped 30 of 31 shots to backstop the win.
- Dylan Larkin opened the scoring with a first-period power-play goal before Montreal struck for three in the first and two in the second off defensive lapses and odd-man rushes.
- Head coach Todd McLellan split the Albert Johansson–Travis Hamonic pairing after they posted a minus-3, signaling immediate defensive adjustments.
- Rookies Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård and Axel Sandin-Pellikka made their NHL debuts as fans booed after the second period; Detroit faces the Maple Leafs on Saturday and Monday.