Senators 3, Red Wings 2 (Final)
Dylan Larkin scored a goal in his first game since returning from injury.
Larkin beat goaltender Linus Ullmark on a rebound early in the third period to narrow Ottawa’s lead to 3-2.
But that was as close as the Red Wings got as the Senators leapfrogged Detroit into the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference.
Senators 3, Red Wings 1 (Second period)
Ottawa scored back-to-back goals by Carter Yakemchuk and Lars Eller to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the second period.
Detroit responded with a goal by Dominik Shine on a deflection from a shot by Simon Edvinsson.
Senators 1, Red Wings 0 (First period)
The Senators opened the scoring on a goal by captain Brady Tkachuk on the power play at 17:15. Tkachuk tipped in a shot by Tim Stutzle to beat goaltender John Gibson.
Earlier in the period, Alex DeBrincat’s goal at 15:25 was disallowed when Patrick Kane stepped into the offensive zone before the puck crossed the blueline.
Larkin returns to lineup
It’s official. Dylan Larkin is back in the Detroit Red Wings’ lineup.
The Red Wings’ captain took the pregame warmup on Tuesday and led the team into the crucial Eastern Conference matchup against the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena.
In fact, Larkin took the opening faceoff on a line with Lucas Raymond and Emmitt Finnie.
Larkin missed seven games with a leg injury with Detroit posting a 3-3-1 record during his absence.
The Red Wings and Senators were scoreless after 13 minutes of the first period. Larkin was on the ice for five shifts in 5:10 of ice time.
How to watch Red Wings-Senators
Who: Detroit Red Wings (38-24-8) vs. Ottawa Senators (37-24-9)
When: 7 p.m., Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
TV/radio: FanDuel Sports Detroit/97.1 FM
At stake: The Red Wings are one point out of the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. The Senators are just one point behind Detroit and could move ahead of the Wings in the standings.
What are the odds of the Wings making the playofffs?
The Red Wings’ playoff chances have fallen to 56 percent, according to moneypuck.com.
That’s the lowest odds since Dec. 7, 2025, when the Red Wings were in first place in the Atlantic Division.
What other Eastern Conference teams are playing tonight?
Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m.
(Bruins in first wild-card spot, two points ahead of the Wings)
Carolina at Montreal, 7 p.m.
(Canadiens are in third in Atlantic Division)
Chicago at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
(Islanders knocked Detroit out of final wild-card spot on Sunday)
Columbus at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
(Blue Jackets are in third place in the Metropolitan Division)
Down on the farm tonight
The Grand Rapids Griffins will host the Milwaukee Admirals on Tuesday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.
The first-place Griffins are expected to have defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka in the lineup. He was assigned to the minors after Monday’s practice.
Sandin-Pellikka had six goals and 13 assists in 63 games with a minus-21 plus-minus rating.
Forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard was sent to Grand Rapids on Tuesday.
He was injured in Detroit and close to returning to the lineup. In 12 games with the Wings, he had one assist and 36 hits while averaging 12:17 of ice time.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Recap: Senators 3, Wings 2, Larkin scores in return to lineup
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
