The Red Wings hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Saturday matinee game, hoping to even their home-and-home series after losing in overtime to the Pens on Thursday. Detroit boasted a 24-14-and-4 record going into today’s game, good for 1st in the Atlantic Division and first in the Eastern Conference.
On Saturday at LCA, the Red Wings laid an egg, losing 4-1 to the Penguins, who went 2-and-0 against the 0-1-and-1 Detroit Red Wings.
Bryan Rust opened the scoring with a ripper at 3:44 of the 1st, and Yegor Chinakhov made it 2-0 at 17:30 with a mini-breakaway marker;
Alex DeBrincat would chip away at the Pens lead at 15:06 of the 2nd, zinging an unassisted marker past Stuart Skinner off a big John Gibson rebound…
But nothing was done in the 3rd and Detroit gave up 2 empty-netters, to Rakell and Dewar.
Pittsburgh out-shot Detroit 31-12, and Gibson stopped 27 of 29.
PREGAME: John Gibson and Stuart Skinner led their respective teams onto the ice…
๐ง vs. ๐ pic.twitter.com/s22fk5oBie
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2026
The Penguins posted their lineup first…
Today's lineup in Detroit.#LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/tfPoqp13LG
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 3, 2026
And the Red Wings’ lineup Tweet included their starting lineup:
Saturday afternoon lineup โคต๏ธ pic.twitter.com/IfJCXrAEn2
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2026
1ST PERIOD:
The teams dressed the following starters and lineups:

GOAL: Off a Emitt Finnie turnover at center ice, the Penguins’ Crosby line raced into Detroit’s zone, and Rust chipped the puck off Finnie’s stick and past John Gibson at 3:44.
Crosby โก๏ธ Rust to give the Pens an early lead pic.twitter.com/54LAr9dvFc
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 3, 2026
A beauty of a pass from Sid ๐
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 3, 2026
A beauty of a goal from Rusty ๐ pic.twitter.com/TaIyHjEOB5
Pittsburgh 1, Detroit 0: Rust (16) from Crosby (21) and Wotherspoon (12) and 3:44 1st period.
PENALTY: Brett Kulak got caught holding Andrew Copp’s stick at 7:45 of the 1st.
PENALTY: Moritz Seider high-sticked Dewar at 8:47, giving the Wings 58 seconds of 4-on-4 time and the Pens a 1:02 PP.
GOAL: Ben Kindel saw the Red Wings changing 4 players, including Moritz Seider, who asked for the change, and the ill-advised 4-man change hurt the Wings. Yegor Chinakhov skated in alone off the stretch pass from Ben Kindel and beat Gibson to make it 2-0 Pittsburgh at 17:30.
Yegor Chinakhov scores his first as a Penguin ๐ง pic.twitter.com/udK56A4yqK
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 3, 2026
That pass though ๐ฎโ๐จ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 3, 2026
๐บ: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/QBmrj5DqMo
KINDY TO CHINNY! ๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/4GmcIZqFaJ
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 3, 2026
Pittsburgh 2, Detroit 0: Chinakhov (4) from Kindel (8) and Wotherspoon (13) at 17:30 1st.
Through 20 pic.twitter.com/ATJd42Y8JB
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2026
1st period stats.
— George Malik (@georgemalik) January 3, 2026
Shots 10-5 Pittsburgh.
They are 0-for-1 on the PP in 1:02, as are the Red Wings.
Attempts 20-15 Detroit;
Hits 7-5 Pittsburgh;
Giveaways 10-7 Detroit;
Takeaways 2-0 Pittsburgh;
Blocks 7-2 Pittsburgh;
Faceoffs 13-7 Pittsburgh (35%). pic.twitter.com/nhstG65AUE
2ND PERIOD:
GOAL: At 15:06, John Gibson stopped a shot whose rebound rolled out to center ice. Alex DeBrincat picked up the rebound, blazed in on Stuart Skinner 2-on-1, and fired the puck over Skinner’s shoulder.
THE CAT!!! pic.twitter.com/xwYyhmelS5
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2026
The Cat gets Detroit on the board with his 22nd of the season. pic.twitter.com/Af2cRB9oJu
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2026
Alex DeBrincat has goals in back-to-back games, and the @DetroitRedWings have cut the lead to one! ๐จ
— NHL (@NHL) January 3, 2026
๐บ: ABC pic.twitter.com/QL3DzgcT0P
Pittsburgh 2, Detroit 1: DeBrincat (22) unassisted at 15:06 2nd period. Should have an assist to Gibson.
PENALTY: Tommy Novak went off for hooking Emmitt Finnie at 16:41 of the 2nd period.
Through 40 pic.twitter.com/0Gs6JbtKMe
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2026
2nd period stats;
— George Malik (@georgemalik) January 3, 2026
Shots 9-4 Pittsburgh in the 2nd, shots 19-9 Pittsburgh.
Wings 0-for-2 in 3:02 PP;
Pens 0-for-1 in 1:02.
Attempts 36-33 Detroit;
Hits 15-14 Pittsburgh;
Giveaways 15-12 Detroit;
Takeaways 5-1 Pittsburgh;
Blocks 12-7 Pittsburgh;
Faceoffs 18-17 PIT (49%). pic.twitter.com/nqloGqp1Rq
Individually…
— George Malik (@georgemalik) January 3, 2026
Shots: 3 for DeBrincat with 6 attempts, 3 attempts for Raymond blocked, 1+4 wide for Kane;
4 hits for Seider, 3 for Kasper, 2 for Copp and Appleton;
2 giveaways for Chiarot, Johansson and Larkin;
1 block for Chiarot, Copp, Johansson, JBD, ASP, Seider, Kane;โฆ https://t.co/viuNzTizQb
3RD PERIOD:
PENALTY: Simon Edvinsson went for hooking at 34 seconds of the 3rd period.
Their first Tweet in hours:
No call on this spin-o-rama elbow from Detroit Red Wings' Lucas Raymond on the Pens' Tommy Novak. Ouch. pic.twitter.com/wjdZaTAoRy
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) January 3, 2026
GOALIE PULL: Gibson sat with 2:23 left in the 3rd, and Raymond was the 6th skater.
GOAL: Rickard Rakell took a puck from Seider and ripped it into the empty net at 19:00 of the 3rd. 3-1 Pittsburgh.
RAKS BOUGHT US BIG MACS! ๐
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 3, 2026
Here's how to cash in your @McDonalds offer: https://t.co/QH7j1DPz1i pic.twitter.com/zj3dy78hSY
Pittsburgh 3, Detroit 1: Rakell (5) from Crosby (22) and Rust (21) at 19:00 3rd.
GOAL: Connor Dewar scored the 4-1 goal into an empty net at `19:28 of the 3rd period. Lizzotte assisted.
And a pair of empty netters to cap it ๐คญ
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 3, 2026
(Via @espn) pic.twitter.com/P8VDWJNPJa
Pittsburgh 4, Detroit 2: Dewar (7) from Lizzotte (5) at 19:28 3rd period.
Final from Detroit pic.twitter.com/wt2r2lsrBs
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 3, 2026
STATISTICS: Here are the Game Summary and Event Summary:


FINAL STATS from Detroit's 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh.
— George Malik (@georgemalik) January 3, 2026
Shots in the 3rd 12-3 Pittsburgh, shots overall 31-12 Pittsburgh.
Gibson stopped 27 of 29 and the Wings gave up 2 empty-net goals, Skinner stopped 11 of 12.
Shot attempts 58-42 Pittsburgh;
Hits 21-18 Detroit;
Giveaways 19-16โฆ
Individually…
— George Malik (@georgemalik) January 3, 2026
Detroit was -17. Finnie -3, Copp, Raymond, Seider, Edvinsson -2, Johansson, JvR, Rasmussen, Danielson, Larkin and Kasper -1.
1G DeBrincat, no assists.
4 shots + 7 ATT for DeBrincat; 4 ATT for Seider; 4 attempts for Bernard-Docker, 2 shots (3 ATT) for Appleton.โฆ https://t.co/rpAKOdUJUA