Todd McLellan makes a surprising admission after the Senators win
The Detroit Red Wings snapped a two-game losing streak with a hard-fought 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday at the Canadian Tire Centre. John Gibson, who had a rough debut with Detroitmade 35 saves, and a dominant first period gave them an early lead.
Head coach Todd McClellan, known for his strategic approach, surprised fans with a honest comment after the gameadmitting that the team was lucky to escape with the win. He said defensive lapses almost allowed Ottawa to get back into the game.
“I don’t know if we made a statement to anybody,” Detroit coach Todd McClellan said. “We came in here, and I still don’t think we played our best game. I thought they played a really good game, but (we) found a way to win.”
Detroit (25-15-4) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening period. Andrew Kopp scored first on the go at 7:06 on a neutral zone fumble by Ottawa’s Tyler Kleven. Dylan Larkin made it 2-0 on the power play once at 13:51 off a James van Riemsdyk rebound.
Van Riemsdijk later added a turnaround goal at 19:43 to cap a first-period surge. McClellan also made an early impact by successfully challenging Ottawa’s Nick Cousins’ apparent goal at 4:06, which was overturned on video review for offside.
The Senators (20-16-5) responded with goals by Claude Giroux, Dylan Cozens and Brady Tkachuk to cut the deficit to 4-3. Tim Stucl extended his point streak to 13 games with two assists, highlighting Ottawa’s resilience.
Lucas Raymond, who missed time earlier this season with an upper-body injury, put Detroit back in front with a finger-twitch. And Michael Rasmussen sealed the game with a shorthanded empty-net goal at 12:53. A late goal by the Senators was reviewed for goaltender interference and ultimately disallowed.
“I just think it was a resilient game,” Rasmussen said. “Everybody picked each other up on the bench. We got the win.”
Detroit is 6-3-1 in their last ten games. The win boosted the Red Wings’ playoff push, but McClellan’s honesty shows there’s still work to be done despite the hot streak.
2026-01-06 12:30:00
