There’s a whole lot of NHL season left, and the Detroit Red Wings still have a lot to prove.
But when the Red Wings arrived in Montreal for a Saturday night tilt against the Canadiens, it was perhaps their best test yet for how to would handle everything the second half will throw at them. They passed it with flying colors.
In a 4-0 shutout over their division rival, the Red Wings turned in a 60-minute effort that had a bit of everything. Their stars produced. Their goaltender was lights out. And perhaps most importantly, they limited the drama late, not letting the Canadiens back in despite some 6-on-5 push.
The win moved Detroit into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division, for now — though Tampa Bay is just one point back with three games in hand. More importantly, though, it showed their mettle in high-stakes game in a tough environment, the latest sign of their growth under Todd McLellan.
Here are five thoughts on their performance.
1. John Gibson was outstanding once again for the Red Wings. His red-hot December drew plenty of attention and nearly halfway into January, he hasn’t slowed down.
In fact, he’s picked it up even further. After a 27-save shutout in Montreal, Gibson has stopped 111 out of 117 shots in January — a .949 save percentage through first four starts this month.
His biggest save Saturday came on Montreal’s first shot on goal, just over five minutes into the game, when he stoned Oliver Kapanen on a two-on-one. In what was a tight-checking game from the outset — the teams combined for two total shots on goal in the first 10-plus minutes, despite plenty of blocks, misses and a pair of posts — keeping that puck out of the net was huge.
The Red Wings and Canadiens are pretty evenly matched on paper. But in a goalie matchup between Gibson and Canadiens rookie netminder Jacob Fowler, who is having a strong season, the veteran won the battle.
2. Just as important as Gibson holding down the crease was the Red Wings’ best forwards delivering.
Both Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond had quiet Decembers at 5-on-5, leading to their line being split up this week. Since the start of that experiment, the Red Wings have won three straight. Both players scored on Saturday.
Granted, Larkin’s goal came on the power play and Raymond’s came when a James van Riemsdyk dump-in took a favorable bounce off a stanchion leading to an open net. But Raymond was dangerous all night, hitting two posts before scoring, and has four points in his last three games.
Meanwhile Alex DeBrincat kept pace with Larkin for Detroit’s goal-scoring lead with a one-timer from the slot that made it 3-0, and acted as a functional dagger.
What’ll be interesting is how the Red Wings proceed with their lines going forward. There’s certainly no reason to go away from something that’s working.
In addition to Raymond’s goal Saturday, his line with van Riemsdyk and J.T. Compher was on the ice for three Red Wings goals on Thursday against Vancouver, and two more earlier in the week against Ottawa. That combination seems to really mesh. The line of DeBrincat, Patrick Kane and Andrew Copp may not be quite as hot as it was through most of December, but both DeBrincat and Copp scored again on Saturday, with Copp getting a late empty-netter.
The fourth line of Michael Rasmussen, Mason Appleton and Elmer Söderblom drew two first-period penalties. And Marco Kasper had one of his more noticeable games of late, playing with Larkin and Emmitt Finnie.
It still feels like the Red Wings will re-unite Larkin and Raymond eventually. The track record of success is just so long. But for now, Detroit has won its last three by a total of 10 goals.
3. The victory was a complete effort, yet despite the lopsided scoreline, it wasn’t high-flying dominance by any means. Detroit got a stout defensive effort with great goaltending and opportunistic offense. And that’s a good recipe for late-season hockey.
Sure, it took that fortunate bounce off the stanchion to get them on the board, and their 5-1 edge in power-play opportunities compared to Montreal is a rarity in the NHL. The Canadiens also made sure Detroit had to really work on those power plays, killing four of them and doing everything they could to clog the lanes and keep the Red Wings on the perimeter.
DeBrincat’s goal was probably the highlight of the bunch, a one-timer off the rush on which DeBrincat managed to drift away from coverage until he was all alone for a one-timer in the slot. That was the type of goal the Red Wings allowed Montreal to score too many of on opening night, and it always helps to get that kind of look.
But I guarantee Detroit’s staff will be much happier that they didn’t give up many such chances the other way.
Alex DeBrincat LOVES scoring goals 😼 pic.twitter.com/kQE6uz4frl
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 11, 2026
4. The build-up to Saturday’s game was all about the showdown for the Atlantic Division lead, even with Tampa Bay still having a better points percentage. Detroit now holds that distinction.
Looking at the division standings, though, it’s shaping up to be one heck of a race to the finish line.
The Red Wings have the most points with 58 in 46 games, but Tampa Bay is just one back, and Montreal two. And even behind them, Buffalo has won nine of 10, while Toronto is 7-1-2. That’s before you get to the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, an Ottawa team that has the talent to get hot at any moment, or a Boston team that put up a 10-spot Saturday on the Rangers.
It may not have quite the same sizzle as the Central Division, home to the league’s top three teams in Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota, but the Atlantic will almost certainly be the most interesting division down the stretch. There’s simply no room for nights off.
5. One thought in the wake of Patrick Kane’s 500th goal celebration Thursday: Even though it was an individual milestone (and a chase that started to drag on a bit), there’s real value to a team celebrating a moment like that amid the doldrums of the season.
January can be a bit of a slog, especially in the lead-up to the Olympic break, and I wonder if that whole experience injected some energy into the Red Wings this week.
Granted, with a nine-year playoff drought, it’s not like the Red Wings have any reason to get complacent. And McLellan has proven to be swift to action when they slip.
But I wouldn’t underestimate the positive effects of a moment like that, even if only to break up some of the monotony.
Now we’ll see if they can keep it rolling. As strong a statement as Saturday’s win was, Detroit’s next test is even tougher: They’ll host the Carolina Hurricanes, who have a one-point lead over the Red Wings in the Eastern Conference.