DETROIT — Patrick Kane earned a share of the title of top American-born points producer in NHL history and yet the Detroit Red Wings’ dressing room was far from festive.

A 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings did not leave Kane, or his teammates, with the same level of joyfulness they shared when he joined the NHL 500 Goal Club. It was time for congratulations to be sure, but not a full celebration.

“It’s tough right now,” Kane said. “Nothing really went right for us tonight.  It’s tough to really think about that right now, but hopefully next game (will have) better results. I can move past Mike (Modano) next game. That would be nice to do that and do it with the win.”

The Red Wings trailed 2-0 late in the third period when they pulled goalie John Gibson for an extra attacker.  Kane fed a puck back to Moritz Seider at the point and fed Alex DeBrincat for a goal at 2:15 left in regulation. It was Kane’s 1,374th career point, tying the Modano record. It looked like it possibly could start a Detroit comeback. But that idea died when Corey Perry netted an empty-net goal with 1:13 left.

“Tonight was history,” Seider said. “Make a moment. But I think we all know it’s going to be more special when he breaks it, and hopefully it’s in two nights (Thursday against Washington). I’m definitely looking forward to it. I think we’ll probably have a better celebration with two points in the bank.”

The muted acknowledgement of Kane milestone may also speak to the commitment the Red Wings have toward ending their nine-year playoff absence. Their focus is on winning. Celebrating after a frustrating loss just didn’t seem right. It didn’t sit well with Kane either, who is an important figure in this playoff quest.

DeBRINCAT 🚨 Detroit finally breaks through.

Patrick Kane ties Mike Modano as the all-time leading points scorer among American-born players. 🇺🇸 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/G9GkTJmmUh

— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) January 28, 2026

‘On Top of that Mountain’

Coach Todd McLellan did take a moment to address the magnitude of the accomplishment.

“We have to be human beings about this,” Seider said. “None of us are happy that we lost the game tonight, but he also reached a pretty significant milestone. He’s one away from being on top of that mountain. But we’re happy for him, we’re excited for him.”

McLellan said 20 years from now, when Kane is retelling the story of the tying goal, maybe the loss won’t hurt as much.

“We have to be happy for him,” McLellan said. “And that’s the positive in the game tonight. There were
some other positives. We pushed it right to the end. We didn’t give up many shots. Tthere were some
things that we did well. We just didn’t do enough positive things for the whole night and (the loss is) what we got.”

Kane is popular with teammates and respected by coaches for his approach to his craft.

“Just the push for his milestones has excited the group, too,” McLellan said. “Ovi last year in Washington, he provided life to that team, and Kaner’s doing that right now. We’re excited for him. We can’t wait until that moment comes.