The Detroit Red Wings wanted to get the bad taste of Saturday's 4-1 setback against the Pittsburgh Penguins in which they managed only 12 shots on goal out of their mouths.
They managed to do so on Monday evening against the Ottawa Senators, and while they won't like that they were outshot by nearly a 2-1 margin, two points is two points.
The Red Wings built up a 3-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes of play, and then held off a rally attempt by the Senators en route to a 5-3 victory at Canadian Tire Centre.
In doing so, they leapfrogged the idle Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes to reclaim the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
SECURED THE DUB IN OTTAWA! pic.twitter.com/7mBOPgX8qH
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 6, 2026
Detroit caught a break early on in the contest when, while trailing the shot totals 9-0, a would-be goal by the Senators was waived off for offside. Not long afterward, they would tally three goals of their own thanks to Andrew Copp, Dylan Larkin (PP), and James van Riemsdyk.
The Senators managed to make things interesting in the the second period with tallies from Claude Giroux and Dylan Cozens, only to have the Red Wings respond courtesy of Lucas Raymond, scoring his first even-strength goal since late November.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Ottawa once again made Detroit sweat in the third period with a goal from Brady Tkachuk, which was followed by consecutive penalties on the part of the Red Wings.
But during what was a shorthanded situation after former Senator Jacob Bernard-Docker was called for slashing, Michael Rasmussen sniped home Detroit's fifth goal of the night on a two-on-one break; it was also Detroit's first shorthanded goal of the campaign.
Just seconds later, the Senators appeared to once again cut the lead to one, but for the second time in the evening, a would-be goal was taken off the board; this time for goaltender interference.
John Gibson was the story of the night for the Red Wings, making 35 saves. Senators goaltender Leevi Merilainen was pulled after allowing three goals on just eight shots, while Hunter Shepard turned aside 10 of the 12 shots he faced in relief.
The Red Wings will return home to face the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday evening at Little Caesars Arena.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.