By Chris Lavallee | Last updated Jan 6, 2026 2:40 AM ET
The Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators met for the first time this season tonight. The Red Wings are coming off back-to-back losses to the Penguins, while Ottawa came in off back-to-back wins, most recently beating the Winnipeg Jets. John Gibson got the start in net for Detroit, bringing in a 13-9-1 record with a 2.93 goals-against average, a .895 save percentage, and two shutouts. Leevi Merilainen got the start in net for Ottawa, bringing in a 6-7-0 record with a 3.34 goals-against average.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Ottawa Senators
First Period
The Red Wings once again got off to a slow start as Ottawa outshot them 9-0 to start the game. Ottawa even scored a goal. However, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan challenged the call. After review, it was determined that at 16:01 of the period, the play was offside. The goal was waved off. With over seven minutes gone in the period, Andrew Copp had a clean break and beat Merilainen to make it 1-0 Red Wings. It was Copp’s sixth of the season.
The Red Wings got a power play. David Perron went off for two minutes for tripping. On the power play, Alex DeBrincat fired a shot on goal that the goalie stopped. The rebound sat in front, and James van Riemsdyk set up Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin for a power-play goal that made it 2–0. It was Larkin’s 22nd goal of the year. The Red Wings weren’t finished, as van Riemsdyk scored with 1:17 left in the opening period to extend the lead to 3–0. It was van Riemsdyk’s 11th of the year. The Senators, despite being down 3-0, outshot the Red Wings 17-8.
Second Period
In the middle period, the Senators replaced Merilainen with Hunter Shepard. The Red Wings came out firing, putting three shots on goal to start the period. They even got a power-play opportunity, but they couldn’t convert. Later on, just over 7 1/2 minutes into the period, Ottawa got on the board. Claude Giroux scored his ninth goal of the season.
The middle of the period was dominated by the Senators, and they got a power-play goal to show for it. Michael Rasmussen went off for tripping. It took just 13 seconds into the man advantage, Dylan Cozens scored to make it a one-goal game. The Red Wings got one back. Lucas Raymond put home his 12th of the season to make it 4-2. Detroit. The Red Wings went on the power play with 2:46 left in the period after Brady Tkachuk went to the box for slashing. Ottawa would kill it off. The period ended with the Red Wings leading 4-2; both teams finished with nine shots on goal apiece.
Third Period
In the final 20 minutes, the Senators made it a one-goal game again as Brady Tkachuk got a pass from Tim Stutzle and snuck it past Gibson to make it 4-3. The Senators got a power-play just over nine minutes gone as Albert Johansson went off for tripping, but Detroit was able to kill it off. Ottawa would get another power-play as Jacob Bernard-Docker went off for slashing. Detroit would net a shorthanded goal as Michael Rasmussen beat Shepards’ glove side to make it 5-3. Ottawa would once again be in a one-goal game, but the goal was called off for goalie interference. The Senators would challenge the call and stood giving the Red Wings a power-play due to an unsuccessful challenge. The Red Wings failed to convert, and Ottawa would get man-advantage of their own as Simon Edvinsson went off for elbowing. The Red Wings killed it off, and Ottawa had an empty net. Detroit couldn’t score on the empty net but held on for the 5-3 win.
Wrap Up
Gibson stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced. Tonight was Gibson’s ninth win in his 12th start. Merilainen stopped five of the eight shots he faced before turning it over to Shepard, who stopped ten of the 12 shots he faced. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Detroit in Ottawa. Their last win came on October 21, 2023.
Next Up:
The Red Wings return on Thursday when they return home to face the Vancouver Canucks, with puck drop set for 7:00 PM EST. Ottawa will face the Mammoth on Wednesday night on the road, with puck drop set for 9:30 PM EST.https://feeds.simplecast.com/iWWhO4_4
