Four third-period goals carry Red Wings past Penguins 7-4
Michael Brandsegg-Nygård scored twice and Detroit's kids buried Pittsburgh late for the Red Wings' first win of the preseason.
For two periods this was a competitive exhibition. Then Detroit's prospects took it over. The Red Wings scored four times in the third period to beat the Penguins 7-4 at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday, their first win of the 2026-27 preseason, according to the club's official recap.
How it unfolded
Nick Robertson gave Pittsburgh the early lead before Michael Brandsegg-Nygård tied it late in the first. Detroit surged ahead in the second with goals from Mason Appleton and Axel Sandin-Pellikka just 31 seconds apart during a 4-on-4 stretch, per Detroit Hockey Now, with Rickard Rakell answering before the intermission. In the third, Brandsegg-Nygård's power-play goal made it 4-2, Kaedan Korczak pulled Pittsburgh within one — and then Detroit ran off three straight through Ondrej Becher, Wilmer Skoog and Jesse Kiiskinen. Rutger McGroarty added a late consolation for the Penguins, who had Sidney Crosby in the lineup.
The details Detroit will like
John Gibson allowed two goals through two periods before handing off to prospect Trey Augustine, and the penalty kill went a perfect 4-for-4. Head coach Todd McLellan's postgame framing was telling: "We're going to have to play grinding hockey, and we played that way for the most part tonight."
Why it matters
Brandsegg-Nygård, Detroit's 2024 first-rounder, is making the loudest possible case for an opening-night roster spot, and the third-period wave came almost entirely from players fighting for jobs. For Pittsburgh, now 0-2 in the preseason, the night belonged to the fringes too — Robertson opened the scoring, but goaltender Artūrs Šilovs was left exposed in stopping 16 of 23.