Washington Capitals at Detroit Red Wings
NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Detroit Red Wings on Jan 29, 2026. Final score: Washington Capitals 4, Detroit Red Wings 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 29, 2026 |
| Venue | Little Caesars Arena |
| Washington Capitals score | 4 |
| Detroit Red Wings score | 3 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jakob Chychrun | D | 0 | 3 | 1 | 26:58 | 0.01 | 2.81 |
| 2nd | Alex DeBrincat | R | 2 | 1 | 5 | 21:28 | 0.33 | 2.32 |
| 3rd | Dylan Strome | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18:31 | 0.16 | 2.15 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Washington Capitals–Detroit Red Wings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 06:27 | WSH | Nic Dowd | Connor McMichael, Jakob Chychrun | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 2nd 09:52 | DET | Ben Chiarot | Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 3rd 09:36 | WSH | Dylan Strome | Alex Ovechkin, Jakob Chychrun | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 3rd 14:44 | WSH | Declan Chisholm | Jakob Chychrun, Dylan Strome | 5v5 | 3–1 |
| 3rd 18:20 | DET | Alex DeBrincat | Dylan Larkin, Andrew Copp | 6v5 | 3–2 |
| 3rd 19:07 | DET | Alex DeBrincat | Moritz Seider | 6v5 | 3–3 |
| P5 00:00 | DET | Lucas Raymond | — | 1v0 | 3–3 |
| P5 00:00 | WSH | Dylan Strome | — | 0v1 | 3–3 |
| P5 00:00 | DET | Patrick Kane | — | 1v0 | 3–3 |
| P5 00:00 | WSH | Ryan Leonard | — | 0v1 | 3–3 |
| P5 00:00 | WSH | Nic Dowd | — | 0v1 | 3–3 |
Team Comparison
| Washington Capitals | Detroit Red Wings | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 23 | 21 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.94 | 3.69 |
| High-danger shots | 12 | 14 |
| Corsi % | 44.1% | 55.9% |
| Power play | 0/2 | 0/4 |
| Faceoff % | 54.0% | 46.0% |
| Hits | 26 | 13 |
| Blocks | 22 | 17 |
| Giveaways | 6 | 13 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 3 |
Washington Capitals Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakob Chychrun | D | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 26:58 | 0.01 | 2.81 |
| Dylan Strome | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18:31 | 0.16 | 2.15 |
| Alex Ovechkin | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 16:00 | 0.20 | 1.21 |
| Nic Dowd | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17:49 | 0.22 | 1.08 |
| Declan Chisholm | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9:22 | 0.13 | 0.88 |
| Connor McMichael | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16:17 | 0.00 | 0.74 |
| John Carlson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27:25 | 0.30 | 0.70 |
| Anthony Beauvillier | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:21 | 0.00 | 0.42 |
| Tom Wilson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:13 | 0.06 | 0.39 |
| Ethen Frank | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:48 | 0.00 | 0.37 |
| Ryan Leonard | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:05 | 0.18 | 0.35 |
| Justin Sourdif | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:10 | 0.18 | 0.27 |
| Brandon Duhaime | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:13 | 0.00 | 0.12 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:18 | 0.01 | 0.11 |
| Hendrix Lapierre | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6:48 | 0.03 | 0.08 |
| Martin Fehérváry | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:39 | 0.05 | 0.03 |
| Aliaksei Protas | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21:09 | 0.03 | -0.09 |
| Rasmus Sandin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20:04 | 0.08 | -0.20 |
Detroit Red Wings Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex DeBrincat | R | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 21:28 | 0.33 | 2.32 |
| Andrew Copp | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18:17 | 0.24 | 0.92 |
| Moritz Seider | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 31:57 | 0.08 | 0.70 |
| Patrick Kane | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19:08 | 0.14 | 0.54 |
| Travis Hamonic | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:56 | 0.00 | 0.53 |
| Dylan Larkin | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24:38 | 0.41 | 0.36 |
| Marco Kasper | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:56 | 0.27 | 0.14 |
| Lucas Raymond | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20:41 | 0.29 | 0.11 |
| Ben Chiarot | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 20:40 | 0.08 | 0.09 |
| Jacob Bernard-Docker | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:44 | 0.00 | 0.06 |
| J.T. Compher | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15:07 | 0.14 | -0.04 |
| Emmitt Finnie | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:13 | 0.00 | -0.07 |
| James van Riemsdyk | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:10 | 0.00 | -0.31 |
| Mason Appleton | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:56 | 0.02 | -0.35 |
| Elmer Soderblom | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:29 | 0.00 | -0.38 |
| Michael Rasmussen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:52 | 0.10 | -0.42 |
| Axel Sandin-Pellikka | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:20 | 0.03 | -0.50 |
| Albert Johansson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:16 | 0.01 | -0.63 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Lindgren | Washington Capitals | 18 | 21 | 85.7% | -0.36 | W |
| John Gibson | Detroit Red Wings | 20 | 23 | 87.0% | -1.00 | O |
Analysis
The Washington Capitals defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4–3 on Jan 29, 2026, a one-goal game.
Detroit Red Wings generated 3.69 expected goals to Washington Capitals's 2.94 — Detroit Red Wings owned the better of the chances but Washington Capitals took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Jakob Chychrun led all skaters with a Game Score of 2.81 on 3 assists, 1 shots on goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Washington Capitals vs Detroit Red Wings game?
The Washington Capitals beat the Detroit Red Wings 4–3 on Jan 29, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Washington Capitals 4, Detroit Red Wings 3.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Jakob Chychrun led all skaters at 2.81, on 0G, 3A and 1 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Detroit Red Wings generated 3.69 expected goals and Washington Capitals generated 2.94, so Detroit Red Wings created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Washington Capitals put 23 shots on goal and Detroit Red Wings put 21. High-danger chances went 12 to 14.
How did the goaltenders play?
Charlie Lindgren stopped 18 of 21 (-0.36 goals saved above expected); John Gibson stopped 20 of 23 (-1.0 goals saved above expected).