Red Wings Capitalize in Washington

Three second-period goals were the difference as the Detroit Red Wings downed the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at Capital One Arena.

With the victory, the Red Wings ended a three-game (0-2-1) losing streak at Washington in which the club was outscored 13-6. Detroit is 6-2-2 over the past 10 road games.

1:05 in, Leonard has his first as a Red Wing! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dcMD3pSKMb

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) December 20, 2025

John Leonard put Detroit ahead with the only goal of the first period. James van Riemsdyk, Elmer Soderblom, and Moritz Seider scored in the second period for the Wings. Dylan Larkin added an empty-net tally in the final period.

Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehérváry were the Washington goal scorers. Officials disallowed Jeff Chychrun’s third-period goal, calling Protas for goaltender interference.

Detroit goalie John Gibson won his seventh straight game. He’s allowed two goals or fewer in four of those wins. Gibson is the first Detroit netminder to win seven games in a row since Joey McDonald in 2012.

Logan Thompson made 37 saves for the Capitals. Gibson had 24 saves for the Red Wings.

Takeaways

Capitals: Ryan Leonard, brother of Wings forward John Leonard, missed the game with shoulder and facial injuries . . . Washington defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, younger sibling of Detroit forward James van Riemsdyk, was a healthy scratch.

The @DetroitRedWings’ first two goals during their Moms Trip were scored by John Leonard and James van Riemsdyk, brothers of sidelined Capitals players Ryan and Trevor, respectively. #NHLStats

Tune in 🇺🇸 (NHL Network), 🇨🇦 (@Sportsnet), 🌎: https://t.co/dT34F4MPaa https://t.co/nUcukgXrOw

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) December 20, 2025

Red Wings: Center Andrew Copp drew assists on Detroit’s first two goals. He has 2-7-9 totals over the past nine games . . . Forward van Riemsdyk has seven goals in his past 12 games . . . Soderblom’s goal was his second of the season and his first since October 28 . . . Leonard’s goal was his first as a Red Wing and his second point in three games since being recalled from the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins . . . Detroit and Colorado share the NHL lead, each with 12 empty-net goals.

Red Wings Key Moment

Carrying a lead into the second period, Detroit is the picture of perfection. The Wings are 8-0 on the season when leading after one period. Detroit is also 13-3-1 when scoring the first goal of the game.

Red Wings Key Stat

Detroit forward Marco Kasper drew an assist on Soderblom’s goal. That was just his second helper in 36 games this season.

Up Next

The Capitals and the Red Wings will meet again on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena, with a 1 pm ET puck drop. Detroit is 1-5 this season in the second game of back-to-backs.