• Powered by Roundtable
    Michael Whitaker
    Dec 20, 2025, 20:57
    Updated at: Dec 20, 2025, 21:01

    The Detroit Red Wings improved to 7-2-1 in their last 10 games with their 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon.

    Follow Michael Whitaker On X

    The Detroit Red Wings have improved to 7-2-1 in their last 10 games thanks to their 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon at Capital One Arena. 

    The win was especially special for the players, many of whom brought their moms along for the trip to the nation's capital. 

    As of Saturday afternoon, the Red Wings further built upon their lead in the Atlantic Division, moving ahead of the Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins by three points each. 

    The scoring was opened just 65 seconds after the opening face-off thanks to forward John Leonard, who was playing in his third game with the Red Wings since being called up from the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

    Leonard's goal was his first with the Red Wings, as he signed with the club during the offseason and was the AHL's leading goal scorer at the time of his call-up earlier in the week. 

    Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest newsgame-day coverage, and player features

    The Red Wings then increased their lead to 4-0 by the midway point of the second period thanks to tallies from James van Riemsdyk, Elmer Soderblom, and Moritz Seider.

    Image

    While the Capitals managed to cut Detroit's lead in half after goals from Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary, a would-be goal that would have cut the deficit to just one was waived off because of goaltender interference. 

    Dylan Larkin then scored into the vacated Washington net late in regulation, sealing the victory. 

    Goaltender John Gibson picked up his seventh straight win by making 24 saves, while his counterpart, Logan Thompson, made 36 saves.

    Both teams will reconvene on Sunday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena. 

    Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

    For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.