Red Wings’ HC Todd McLellan makes eye-opening admission after Senators win

The Detroit Red Wings ended a two-game losing streak with a hard-fought 5-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Monday at Canadian Tire Centre. John Gibson, who made a tough debut with Detroit, made 35 saves, and a dominant first period gave them an early edge.

Head Coach Todd McLellan, known for his strategic approach, surprised fans with a candid postgame comment, admitting the team was lucky to escape with the win. He said defensive lapses nearly allowed Ottawa back into the game.

“I don’t know if we made a statement to anybody,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. “We came in here, I still don’t think we played our best game. I thought they played a real good game, but (we) found a way to win.”

Detroit (25-15-4) jumped to a 3-0 lead in the opening period. Andrew Copp scored first on a breakaway at 7:06 following a neutral-zone mistake by Ottawa’s Tyler Kleven. Dylan Larkin made it 2-0 on a power-play one-timer at 13:51 off a rebound from James van Riemsdyk.

Van Riemsdyk later added a spinning goal at 19:43 to cap the first-period surge. McLellan also made an early impact by successfully challenging an apparent Ottawa goal by Nick Cousins at 4:06, which was overturned after video review for offside.

The Senators (20-16-5) fought back with goals from Claude Giroux, Dylan Cozens, and Brady Tkachuk, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Tim Stutzle 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 highlight-reel toe-drag goal. And Michael Rasmussen sealed the game with a shorthanded empty-netter at 12:53. A late Senators goal was reviewed for goaltender interference and ultimately disallowed.

“I just think it was a resilient game,” Rasmussen said. “Everybody lifted each other up on the bench. Got the win.”

Detroit is on a 6-3-1 run over the last ten games. The win strengthens the Red Wings’ playoff push, but McLellan’s honesty shows there is still work to do despite the hot run.

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