Red Wings back in 1st place after win over division-rival Senators

Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News on Jan 5, 2026

Published in Hockey

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This wasn't the prettiest victory of the Detroit Red Wings' season, but it was an important one.

And largely, thank goaltender John Gibson for Monday's 5-3 victory in Ottawa, Canada.

The Wings didn't completely out-play the Senators, but Gibson was better than whoever the Senators had in the game in net — starter Leevi Merilainen was replaced after one period — and the Wings won an important divisional game.

Andrew Copp (sixth goal), Dylan Larkin (22nd goal, power play) and James van Riemsdyk (11th goal) had first period goals as the Wings took a 3-0 lead — and Lucas Raymond (12th goal) scored a late second period goal after Ottawa had pulled to within 3-2.

Claude Giroux, Dylan Cozens (power play) and Brady Tkachuk had the Senators' goals.

Tkachuk's third period goal cut the Wings' lead to 4-3 at 6 minutes 55 seconds of the third period as Ottawa began regaining control of the game.

The Senators then had two consecutive power plays and the chance to tie. But the Wings killed the first one, then on the second, Michael Rasmussen's short-handed goal, his sixth at 12:53, restored a Wings' two-goal lead, 5-3.

Gibson made 35 saves and was the difference in the first period as the Wings out-shot 17-8 but still held a 3-0 lead.

The Senators had an apparent game-opening goal by Nick Cousins early in the game get erased when the Wings won a video challenge confirming Ottawa was off-side on the goal.

From there, the momentum completely turned.

Copp made it 1-0, intercepting a pass and scoring on a drive at 7:06. Larkin made it 2-0 knocking in a van Riemsdyk's slick pass in front at 13:51 on the power play. With just 17 seconds left in the period, van Riemsdyk scored his 11th on a low shot along the ice that spelled the end of the night for Merilainen.

Ottawa backup goaltender Hunter Shepard gave his team a spark with a few good saves, and the Senators responded. Cozens' power play goal cut the lead to 3-2 at 14:10 of the second period.

But Raymond scored his first even-strength goal since Nov. 29, a quick wrist shot that handcuffed Shepard, at 15:42.

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