Red Wings Unintentionally Tie Capitals in Third Period With Wildest Bounce You’ll See

Alex DeBrincat somehow found the net on a dump in.

The Capitals beat the Red Wings in a shootout after a wild third-period goal | Screengrab via ESPN+

Thursday night’s game between the Red Wings and Capitals at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit had a bit of everything. A late comeback, a shootout, some NHL history and one of the wildest goals you’ll ever see.

Late in the third period, Red Wings right winger Alex DeBrincat scored two goals in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime and secure a point in the standings for Detroit. The game-tying goal came with just 53 seconds left as he dumped the puck into the zone, not trying to put a shot on goal.

Wildly enough, DeBrincat’s dump in bounced off the boards and into the net as Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren was caught off guard, seeing the puck ricochet toward him, then off his back and into the net. Check out the wild sequence below:

More replays on this confusing goal pic.twitter.com/FcHhtBKkUP

— Capitals Replays (@CapitalsReplays) January 30, 2026

The play was reviewed after Capitals defenseman John Carlson spoke with officials to say he thought the shot bounced off a camera through the small hole cut in the glass for game photographers to take pictures. Former NHL referee and ESPN rules analyst Dave Jackson said on the broadcast that if the camera was poking out of the hole and the puck hit it, the goal would be called back. But if the puck hit the protrusion in the glass, the goal would stay. Officials ruled the puck hit the glass or, potentially, they could not determine whether it hit the camera, ultimately leaving the goal on the board.

Here’s a longer look at the confounding score:

DeBrincat had three points on the night, including an assist in the second period on a goal from Ben Chiarot. Patrick Kane also assisted on the Chiarot goal, which moved Kane past Mike Modano for the most points in NHL history from an American-born player with 1,375.

Following the third-period chaos, the Capitals came out on top in a shootout for a 4-3 win, giving Washington two points in the standings after a wild night.

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