{"id":400849,"date":"2026-01-11T03:46:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T03:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/400849\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T03:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T03:46:14","slug":"red-wings-down-canadiens-to-reclaim-first-place-dhn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/400849\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings Down Canadiens To Reclaim First Place \/ DHN"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re nearing mid-January, and the Detroit<\/a> Red Wings are once again fronting the NHL\u2019s Atlantic Division.<\/p>\n

Detroit impressively blanked the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 on Saturday at the Bell Centre to move past the Habs and back into the top spot in the division. Detroit has held the Atlantic lead for a division-high 34 days this season.<\/p>\n

The Red Wings had been 0-3 this season against the three teams sitting atop the four NHL divisions entering play on Saturday. The Red Wings had been outscored 11-3 in those three losses. That included a 5-1 home-ice setback against the Canadiens on opening night.<\/p>\n

Following a scoreless first period, Lucas Raymond<\/a> gave the Red Wings a lead they wouldn\u2019t relinquish. Before the second period was done, captain Dylan Larkin made it 2-0 on a Detroit power play.<\/p>\n

Alex DeBrincat<\/a> made it 3-0 just 34 seconds into the third period. DeBrincat and Larkin share the Red Wings\u2019 goal-scoring lead. Each has netted 23 goals.<\/p>\n

MEOW pic.twitter.com\/RIE7nvEPvX<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Andrew Copp completed the scoring with an empty-net goal.<\/p>\n

John Gibson<\/a> made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season.<\/p>\n

Takeaways<\/p>\n

Larkin and Raymond have combined for five goals over the three games since Red Wings coach Todd McLellan split them up. They\u2019d contributed one goal between them in the previous five games \u2026 Raymond has points in six of the past seven games \u2026 Larkin has points in five of the past six games \u2026 DeBrincat finished with a goal and two assists. He has 23-23-46 totals on the season.<\/p>\n

Red Wings Key Moment<\/p>\n

Raymond opened the scoring when a dump into the Montreal zone took an odd hop off the back boards near the Zamboni entrance. It ended up in front of the Canadiens\u2019 net, and Raymond slammed it in as Montreal goalie Jacob Fowler made a desperation dive in an effort to get back into the net.<\/p>\n

Ray Ray opens the scoring! pic.twitter.com\/f7efvPPmcS<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Last season, in a late-season game at Montreal with both teams battling for a playoff spot, a similar fluke play left Detroit\u2019s JT Compher<\/a> staring down an empty Canadiens cage, and he fired the puck over the vacated net. Detroit lost that game.<\/p>\n

Red Wings Key Stat<\/p>\n

Gibson has won 12 games since December 1. That\u2019s the most by an NHL netminder in that span.<\/p>\n

Up Next<\/p>\n

In another test against the beasts of the East, the Red Wings return home to face the Hurricanes on Monday on Sergei Fedorov jersey retirement night at Little Caesars Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. The Fedorov ceremony gets underway at 5:30 pm. Doors will open at 4:20 pm to allow fans plenty of time to get situated.<\/p>\n

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