Detroit Red Wings forward J.T. Compher scored his first goal since late November in Thursday evening's 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, helping to boost the club's secondary scoring.
While the main storyline of Thursday’s 5–1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks was Patrick Kane’s 500th career goal, another Detroit Red Wings forward broke through with his first goal in more than a month.
Forward J.T. Compher tallied his first goal since late November, burying a beautiful feed from veteran James van Riemsdyk after he was left undetected at the side of Vancouver's net.
His goal halted the momentum the Canucks had gained following a power-play tally and restored the two-goal lead for the host Red Wings.
JVR → JT 🤌 pic.twitter.com/E3bXUaLJ2x
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 9, 2026
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"When you score you start going to the net, you start feeling better about yourself and creating more chances," Kane said of Compher. "He had a few more good looks at the net."
As far as the building of confidence goes, head coach Todd McLellan noted that both the confidence of Compher and the club as a whole goes up when he finds the back of the net.
"Big for his and for us," McLellan said of the confidence levels. "I think J.T. has been playing fairly well, but it hasn't been going in for him. After reviewing the game, I didn't realize how many good chances he actually had in that game."
As Kane noted, Compher seemed to get an immediate boost following his goal. He broke in shortly afterward on a two-on-one opportunity, but was stopped by goaltender Kevin Lankinen. He also had a chance at the side of the net after taking a feed from Ben Chiarot, but sent it just inches wide.
"He had opportunities for almost four goals," McLellan said. "But just to get one, I'm sure it makes him feel a lot better than it did heading into the game, but it's really important (secondary scoring) for our team."
Goals have not come easily for Compher, whose production dipped from a career-high 19 tallies in his first season with the Red Wings to 11 last year. Through the 2025–26 season, Compher has five goals in 45 games, a pace of nine over 82 games.
But after scoring Thursday, his confidence appeared to immediately shift upward, and that could be good news for the Red Wings.
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Category: General Sports
