"We knew there would be a lot of energy in the building because of the tradition on New Year's Eve, but our guys earned every bit of it tonight," Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. "It was awesome to be a part of a game where the whole team turned the momentum around like this."
Lucas Raymond had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings (16-12-7), who fell behind by multiple goals for the third straight game. They trailed the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 before rallying for a 5-4 overtime win on Wednesday, and 5-0 to the Buffalo Sabres in a 6-3 loss on Thursday.
"It felt like we've had a few games lately where we haven't been ready at the start, but today we were able to come back and get the two points we needed," Raymond said.
Magnus Hellberg, who won a game for the Senators earlier this season before being waived, made 21 saves.
"It didn't matter if we were playing against Magnus or another goalie, we needed to shoot the puck," Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. "We had 45 shots the other night (in a 4-3 overtime win at the Washington Capitals) and we had 13 in the first two periods tonight. We were playing way too cute for our style of hockey."