Detroit lost its starting goaltender early and, despite moments of resilience along the way, ultimately fell 8-4 to the Oilers in Edmonton
Detroit lost its starting goaltender early and, despite moments of resilience along the way, ultimately fell 8-4 to the Oilers in Edmonton
A date with the Oilers—winners of 17 of their last 19 games—in Edmonton was never going to be an easy return from nearly two months out injured for goaltender Ville Husso, and, as it turned out, it was even more trying than expected.
Eight minutes and 48 seconds into his first start since December 18th, Husso conceded a goal to Leon Draisaitl, the culmination of a slowly escalating surge from the home team. To give up a goal to Draisaitl is hardly a grave offense, but Husso—who absorbed a nudge from Oilers forward Corey Perry on the play—came up injured and had to leave the game, his return from injury over before half a period was up.
Alex Lyon gave Husso two pats on the head as the pair passed one another at the door to the Detroit bench. Before Lyon had played three minutes, he yielded a goal he could hardly see when a Cody Ceci point shot deflected off the skate of Moritz Lyon and past the screened goaltender. The goal was Ceci's first in 127 games, an indicator of the Red Wings' fortunes for the night.
Though there would be moments of resistance along the way, Detroit ultimately faltered late in what would become an 8-4 Edmonton victory. The Red Wings were able to recoup some momentum before the end of the first, when Patrick Kane delivered a beautiful royal road pass across the slot to set up an Alex DeBrincat one-timer for a power play goal.
Moments earlier, Kane had survived an attempt from Matthias Ekholm to overpower him and nab the puck, and with a bit more time, he picked the perfect moment to lift a saucer pass through the heart of the penalty kill that settled perfectly for DeBrincat to power home. Whatever Kane's limitations at this stage of his career may be, he remains near peerless as a passer.
Detroit got off to a strong start to the second, but it was the Oilers who found the period's first goal via Evan Bouchard, 10 minutes and 17 seconds into the period to make it 3-1. However, the Red Wings responded within two minutes, once again striking on the power play. If the Kane feed for DeBrincat was a work of high art, Detroit's second power play strike was more brutalist and even slapstick. Daniel Sprong forced the puck to the goal mouth, Joe Veleno found Sprong's rebound and buried it, then proceeded to inadvertently hit Sprong in the face with his stick in celebration.
The Red Wings continued to look dangerous in the moments following the goal, including a DeBrincat shot off the post (for the second time on the evening already) before, with 5:31 to play in the second, Kane was the beneficiary of a brilliant set-up (off the stick of J.T. Compher, after David Perron won a battle to take over possession) and tied the game at three.
By the end of the second, the score remained tied at three, with Detroit posting a 28-22 edge in shots on goal. However, it didn't take long into the third for more adversity to find the Red Wings, when a diving Dylan Holloway directed the rebound from a Bouchard shot past Lyon 44 seconds into the frame. Four minutes later, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins compounded Detroit's problems with a slick goal off the rush to make it 5-3 for the hosts.
Zach Hyman and Evander Kane made it 7-3 for the Oilers before Perron stopped the run by burying a redirect, but Edmonton would grab one more before the final horn sounded when Nugent-Hopkins struck again to bring the final score to 8-4. Connor McDavid assisted on four of the Oilers' six third period goals, bringing his assist total for the night to six.
For Detroit, it was a meager start to a pivotal four-game road swing through western Canada and on to Seattle. However, the Red Wings will have a chance to rebound Thursday evening in Vancouver.
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