{"id":400382,"date":"2026-01-10T22:47:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T22:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/400382\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T22:47:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T22:47:55","slug":"red-wings-and-habs-clash-for-first-place-detroit-hockey-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/400382\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings and Habs Clash For First Place \/ Detroit Hockey Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

One milestone night down for the Detroit<\/a> Red Wings. Another one on the horizon.<\/p>\n

Thursday, Patrick Kane<\/a> netted his 500th NHL goal as the Red Wings beat the Vancouver Canucks.<\/p>\n

POV: you’re in the TV booth with Ken & Mickey when Patrick Kane scores goal #500 \ud83c\udf99\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/PpoEGGlg4M<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

As excited as he is by the accomplishment, he\u2019s also anxious to put it in the rear-view mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, we got a big game tomorrow, so try to turn the page here pretty quickly,\u201d Kane told reporters following Friday\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n

Those big fish to fry would be the top spot in the Atlantic Division, and the entire NHL Eastern Conference, for that matter.<\/p>\n

As they meet on Saturday at the Bell Centre, both the Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens<\/a> are leading the Atlantic with 56 points. Having played one fewer game, Montreal is percentage points (.636 to .622) ahead of Detroit.<\/p>\n

Both teams are one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first overall in the East.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a battle for first place,\u201d Kane<\/a> said. \u201cSo not much more needs to be said than that.\u201d<\/p>\n

First Red Wings vs Canadiens Matchup Since Opening Night<\/p>\n

Montreal visited Detroit for the Red Wings\u2019 season opener. The Habs smacked Detroit 5-1 that night.<\/p>\n

In fact, the Canadiens have won four of the past five meetings with the Red Wings. Detroit coach Todd McLellan<\/a> took note of that when he spoke about this game with his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cTodd stresses that a lot,\u201d Kane said. \u201cHe talks about season series against teams, and especially in the Eastern Conference and within our division.\u201d<\/p>\n

McLellan emphasizes the value of winning those intra-divisional sets to overall placement in the standings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do that, you give yourself a pretty good chance (to be a playoff team),\u201d Kane said. \u201cWe\u2019re behind one (to Montreal) right now, so try to go and even it up tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

First-place battles between the Canadiens and Red Wings evoke memories of Gordie Howe vs Jean Beliveau, and Terry Sawchuk against Jacques Plante.<\/p>\n

It hasn\u2019t been that long since either team tasted first place. But it\u2019s certainly been a while.<\/p>\n

The Red Wings haven\u2019t been a first-place team since the 2010-11 season. As for Montreal, the last time the Canadiens finished atop the division was in 2016-17.<\/p>\n

ICYMI: Alexandre Texier notched his first career hat-trick as the Habs routed the Panthers on Thursday<\/p>\n

Highlights \u2193 #GoHabsGo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Canadiens Montr\u00e9al (@CanadiensMTL) January 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Both teams are anxious to show that what they\u2019ve achieved to date this season is no fluke. And the Red Wings certainly aren\u2019t about to take the Canadiens lightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re playing very well right now,\u201d Detroit center Andrew Copp<\/a> said. \u201cI think they just beat two pretty good teams (Dallas and Florida), and they\u2019re scoring goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re kind of feeling it right now. So, yeah, it\u2019ll be a great test for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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