Detroit Red Wings 3-4 Washington Capitals (SO)
An incredible game at the Little Caesars Arena fittingly went to a shootout between the Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals.
Nick Dowd put the Caps in front early on in the contest, before a moment of history occurred with the leveller. Patrick Kane found Nic Dowd midway through the second to tie things up.
With the assist, Kane now has the most goals all-time by an American born player in the NHL. His teammate celebrated the moment with him on the ice following the goal.
Washington retook the lead in the third through Dylan Strome, before Declan Chrisholm doubled their advantage. Just when the home fans thought their team would end up with nothing, they pulled off a miracle. Alex DeBrincat netted two goals within the final 100 seconds to tie the game and force overtime. His equalizer came with 53 seconds left.
With overtime deciding nothing, the game went to a shootout. Dylan Larkin was the only player to miss in the three rounds, allowing for the Capitals to take the extra point in a 4-3 win.
The Caps still sit six points out of a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference despite the win. As for Detroit, they are third in the conference, having lost for the second game in a row.
Buffalo Sabres 4-1 Los Angeles Kings
The Buffalo Sabres continued their impressive season with a 4-1 defeat of the visiting Los Angeles Kings.
Scoring at least once in each period, the Sabres were efficient in the match, scoring four times from 39 shots in comparison to the Kings' one goal from 53 attempts.
Alex Tuch and Matthias Samuelsson managed first period goals to give the hosts a 2-0 lead. Tuch got his second of the night six and a half minutes after intermission to put Buffalo in an even better position.
Adrian Kempe's power play goal a minute and change after going three down gave the Kings some hope. This was part of a 22-shot second period for Los Angeles, who just could not find another goal.
The third period saw the Sabres hold off their opponents. Tuch completed his hat-trick with an empty net goal with exactly one minute left. Having completed his hat-trick, it meant that the record for hat-tricks across the league in a given month was broken. It was the 30th time a player managed three goals in a game in January 2026.
The Sabres remain fourth in the East with the win, while the Kings fall out of the playoff places in the West as their three-game winning streak came to an end.
Other results
Boston Bruins 6-3 Philadelphia Flyers
Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 Utah Mammoth
Montreal Canadiens 7-3 Colorado Avalanche
New Jersey Devils 3-2 Nashville Predators (OT)
New York Rangers 1-2 New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2 Chicago Blackhawks
Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 Winnipeg Jets
Minnesota Wild 4-1 Calgary Flames
St. Louis Blues 5-4 Florida Panthers
Edmonton Oilers - San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken - Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks - Anaheim Ducks