The Detroit Red Wings didn’t just beat the Vancouver Canucks — they walked into Rogers Arena and dominated them 4–0 in a win that flipped the Atlantic Division standings and turned up the heat in Vancouver’s crease.
A Statement Win from a Team on the Rise
The Red Wings came in looking like a bubble playoff team and left
sitting atop the Atlantic Division after improving to 16-11-3 and extending their point streak to five games.
They’re now 3-0-1 since snapping an ugly 0-3-1 slide, a swing that says a lot about this group’s resilience.
Vancouver, meanwhile, fell to 11-16-3 and looked every bit like a team searching for answers, especially on special teams and in goal.
John Gibson’s First Shutout in Nearly Three Years
This was
John Gibson’s night.
The veteran netminder stopped all
39 shots he faced for his first NHL shutout in almost three years, slamming the door on any Canucks push and bailing out Detroit whenever their structure broke down.
Vancouver actually carried large stretches of play:
- Outshot Detroit
11–6 in the first period- Finished with nearly double the Wings’ shot total (39–20)
But Gibson erased all of that with a performance that looked like vintage Anaheim-era form — controlled, efficient, and calm on second and third chances.
If there were any questions about whether he could still steal games, this was his answer.
Depth Scoring and a Rookie Boost for Detroit
Detroit didn’t need a high-volume shooting night. They made their chances count.
Goal scorers for Detroit:-
James van Riemsdyk – opened the scoring in the first with a net-front tap-in, his
fourth goal in four games, continuing a sneaky-hot stretch for the veteran winger.
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Andrew Copp – buried a backdoor tap-in late in the second for his third of the season, finishing a slick pass from the point.
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Nate Danielson – tipped home his
second career goal just 37 seconds after Copp, a huge confidence moment for the 20-year-old rookie.
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Dylan Larkin – sealed it in the third, as the captain continued to drive offense in big moments.
Rookie defenseman
Axel Sandin-Pellikka quietly had a big impact with
two assists, including primary involvement on the Copp and Danielson goals.
His ability to walk the blue line and create passing lanes is quickly becoming a real weapon for Detroit.
Canucks’ Goaltending Issues Get Harder to Ignore
On the other bench, this loss was all about
Kevin Lankinen’s struggles — and how thin Vancouver’s margin for error has become.
Lankinen:
- Stopped
10 of 13 shots before being pulled after two periods
- Was beaten on plays at the net front and through traffic, the kind of goals that erode a team’s confidence in its starter
Head coach Rick Tocchet turned to
Nikita Tolopilo for the third, and the backup stopped all six shots he faced, but by then the damage was done.
As Sportsnet bluntly framed it, Lankinen’s struggles are now part of a troubling trend, not just a one-off bad night.
For a Canucks team that doesn’t have the offensive firepower it once did, shaky goaltending is a problem they simply can’t hide.
Power Play Drought and Missed Chances
The Canucks’
special teams woes were again a storyline.
- Vancouver went
0-for-3 on the power play and has now gone
six straight games without a power-play goal.
- Detroit went 0-for-2 with the man advantage but didn’t need it; their even-strength play was more than enough.
Despite the score, Vancouver wasn’t lifeless:
- They drove play at times and generated plenty of looks, especially from the point and off the cycle.
- Physical forward
Kiefer Sherwood registered
10 hits, trying to spark some energy and push back physically.
But when your power play is cold and the opposing goalie is dialed in, all that zone time turns into frustration instead of momentum.
What This Means for Both Teams
For Detroit:- Moving into
first place in the Atlantic Division is more than a nice line on the standings — it’s validation that this version of the Red Wings is more than a feel-good rebuild story.
- They’ve now won consecutive games for the first time since mid-November and look to be stabilizing after that mini-slide.
- Contributions from veterans (van Riemsdyk, Copp, Larkin), rookies (Danielson, Sandin-Pellikka), and strong goaltending from Gibson give this team a real multi-layered identity.
Next up:
-
At Calgary Flames on Wednesday, game four of a six-game road trip that suddenly looks like an opportunity instead of a grind.
For Vancouver:- The loss compounds a frustrating homestand where the offense, power play, and goaltending have all misfired at the same time.
- The power-play drought (six games without a goal) is impossible to ignore and will almost certainly lead to tactical tweaks or personnel shuffles.
- Lankinen’s play is now a storyline, not just a talking point — and that puts pressure on both coaching decisions and the front office.
Next up:
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Home vs. Buffalo Sabres on Thursday to close out the four-game homestand, a game that increasingly feels like a measuring stick for where this season is headed.
The Bigger Picture
This wasn’t just another early-December game.
- For
Detroit, it looked like a turning point — a veteran goalie rediscovering his form, a rookie defenseman driving offense, and a team quietly climbing from “interesting” to “legit.”
- For
Vancouver, it was another chapter in a worrying trend: outshooting teams but not outscoring them, losing the special-teams battle, and getting subpar goaltending.
If these trajectories hold, the Red Wings might be one of the surprise stories of the season — and the Canucks might find themselves facing hard questions well before the trade deadline.
Sources
1. Detroit Red Wings vs. Vancouver Canucks - NHL Game Recap
2. Red Wings vs. Canucks | NHL Highlights | December 08, 2025
3. NHL Highlights | Red Wings vs. Canucks - December 8, 2025
4. Lankinen's struggles continue as Canucks lose to Red Wings
5. Hughes, Myers, DeBrusk & Adam Foote Post-Game Media - YouTube
