What to keep an eye on heading into tonight's match-up between the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers at Little Caesars Arena
Tonight, at Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Red Wings (4-4-0) will host the visiting Edmonton Oilers (3-4-1). Presently sitting at second last in the Pacific Division, Edmonton is off to another slow start to the season, but as long as the lineup features the names "Connor McDavid" and "Leon Draisaitl" the Oilers will inspire fear wherever they go, except perhaps South Florida.
Jan 11, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) skates with the puck chased by Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) in the third period at Little Caesars ArenaYesterday, the Red Wings fell 5-3 in Buffalo, snapping a three-game win streak with the loss to the Sabres. It was a performance that didn't look terribly different from Detroit's midweek wins over the Islanders in New York and then at home over the Devils Thursday. Specifically, the trend of spending too much time in the defensive zone persisted, and it finally put the Red Wings in a hole they couldn't crawl out of.
Edmonton's firepower only increases the imperative for Detroit to be more efficient in its defensive end and more sustained in its volleys in the offensive third of the rink. After the Oilers won in Detroit last season, Andrew Copp offered a detailed explanation of how they pose problems:
"A lot of your focus can end up on defending. They sustain possession pretty well. They're high flying, but in the offensive zone, I think you saw Hyman a lot, that second line was really holding pucks low and making us defend for long periods of time. I think that's the biggest thing, and then, once you do get the puck out, you're either dumping and changing or you're not as on your toes on the forecheck. So that's pretty cyclical. When you can sustain O zone possession for long periods of time, that really puts the team back on their heels and gets them behind the change a little bit. It's tough to overcome when it's shift after shift. When that happens, it's tough to get rushes, it's tough to sustain a forecheck. I thought we did a decent job when we did, but it's a really good team. We gotta defend first, we gotta defend harder, and end plays earlier, so that at the 20 second mark, we're forechecking instead of at the 40 second mark we get it out."
Because of their attacking flair, it can be easy to conceive of the Mc-Drai Oilers as a flashy, rush-dependent team, but at its best, Edmonton creates discomfort for opponents in its ability to sustain possession via the low cycle. If Detroit can't find a way to counter this before it gets going and find some possession time of its own, the Red Wings could be in for a long night.
Tonight's game (a 6 PM scheduled puck drop) will be broadcasted on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit for local fans, with the NHL Network also picking up national coverage. For out-of-market fans without NHL Network, ESPN+ will also carry the game via streaming.