DeBrincat, Gibson lead hot Red Wings to 4-0 win over Canadiens

MONTREAL — The Detroit Red Wings took over first place in the Atlantic Division from the Montreal Canadiens, blanking their Original Six rival 4-0 Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

Detroit (27-15-4), which has won three in a row, is now two points ahead of Montreal (25-14-6), although the Canadiens have a game in hand.

Lucas Raymond, Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Andrew Copp scored for the Red Wings. John Gibson stopped 27 shots as he recorded his third shutout of the season and the first of his career against the Canadiens. The 32-year-old has won 12 of his last 14 starts dating back to Dec. 2.

Montreal saw its winning streak halted at three games. The Canadiens also suffered their first loss at home in five games.

Jacob Fowler made 20 saves for Montreal in the losing effort.

After a scoreless first period, the Red Wings scored a pair of goals in the second to take the lead courtesy of Raymond and Larkin.

Detroit added another goal just 34 seconds into the third, by way of DeBrincat, who also finished the night with two assists.

The Red Wings capped off the scoring with Copp’s empty-net goal.

The Canadiens welcomed Kaiden Guhle back into their lineup Saturday. The 23-year-old had missed Montreal’s last 39 games after partially tearing an adductor muscle on Oct. 16.

The Edmonton, Alta. native skated on the left side of Montreal’s third defence pair alongside Arber Xhekaj.

TAKEAWAYS

Red Wings: Detroit’s power play continued to roll, converting for a third straight game. The Red Wings lead the Eastern Conference with 36 power-play goals this season.

Canadiens: Montreal allowed its first power-play goal at the Bell Centre since Dec. 14. The Canadiens had killed 18 straight penalties on home ice before Larkin’s second-period power-play tally.

KEY MOMENT

The Red Wings took advantage of a fortuitous bounce to open the scoring in the second period. James van Riemsdyk’s dump-in along the boards caromed out in front of the net, which had been vacated by Fowler. The rookie goalie could not get back to his crease in time, allowing Raymond to score into the gaping net.

KEY STAT

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki played in his 500th straight NHL game to begin his career. Suzuki holds the second-longest consecutive games played streak among active players, trailing only Brent Burns of the Colorado Avalanche (969 games).

UP NEXT

Red Wings: Host the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.

Canadiens: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2026.