DETROIT — Alex DeBrincat is his shot. But Cat, as he is called by teammates, is also geometry.

When he has the angle right, his shot is even more dangerous coming off the wing. That was the case Sunday night when he lasered a shot from the left wing past former teammate James Reimer in overtime to give the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3 division win against the Ottawa Senators.

“We all recognize his ability to get the shot off,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “We saw it again tonight, but there’s more to it than that. He keeps a lot of plays alive in and around his feet. Low center of gravity. Wins pucks, strips pucks. And while he’s doing that, he has some vision away from the play.”

CAT CALLS GAME! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/c8yzs3WSh7

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 19, 2026

 

DeBrincat now had 14 career overtime tallies, tying Patrick Kane and Auston Matthews for the fourth-most by a U.S.-born skater in NHL history behind J.T. Miller (17), Max Pacioretty (16) and Johnny Gaudreau (15)

With the win, the Red Wings (30-16-4) stayed in a point tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning (30-13-4 for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 to stretch their points streak to 13 games. Tampa Bay technically owns first place because they have three games in hand.

“I think our guys have been coming to the rink with a lot of juice for all the games, which is a real good sign,” McLellan said.

The Red Wings erased a 2-0 Ottawa lead with on a power-play goal by Axel Sandin-Pellikka at 7:16 of the first period and Lucas Raymond’s wrist shot goal from the high slot at 6:06 of the second period.

Detroit claimed its first lead of the game when James van Riemsdyk scored the Red Wings’ second power play goal. Van Riemsdyk tucked the puck between his legs and fired the puck past Ottawa goalie James Reimer.

But just over two minutes, the Senators answered with their own power play goal by Shane Pinto to tie the game. Former Red Wings player David Perron assisted on that goal

Takeaways

Elmer Soderblom has been a noticeable presence for the Red Wings since coming back in the lineup. The 6-foot-8 forward had five hits and two shots on goal.  He was controlling the puck along the boards. . .Defenseman Albert Johansson showed two shots, three hits and two blocked shots. . . Van Riemsdyk will be making all of the highlight shows tonight and tomorrow. It was slick play by a player known for being nifty around the net. . . DeBrincat has 15 multi-point games this season.

JVR GOES BETWEEN-THE-LEGS FOR A BEAUTIFUL GOAL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2KOFuTCjNi

— NHL (@NHL) January 18, 2026

Key Moment

Sandin-Pellikka’s sixth goal of the season came at 2:11 after the Senators took a 2-0 lead. It shut off any momentum the Senators were gaining from a two-goal lead.  The 2023 first-round draft pick has delivered as promised as an offensive player.

Key Stat

Patrick Kane earned the first assist on Sandin-Pellikka’s power play goal to leave him just three points from being the highest point producer among American-born players. He has 1,372 points and retired NHL star Mike Modano owns 1,374 points. Michigan native Modano played one season for Detroit before retiring.

Up Next

The Red Wings begin a three-game road trip with a game Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Detroit is 3-0 against them this season, including a 3-2 overtime win three days after Christmas at Little Caesars Arena. Coach Todd McLellan’s team then plays Thursday at Minnesota and Saturday in Winnipeg