The Detroit Red Wings will continue their season-long six-game road trip on Thursday night in Edmonton having received reminders of both how well they can play and how much they can’t afford to let up when in control of a game.
The Red Wings, who are riding a three-game winning streak, arrive in Edmonton after clinging to a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday. Detroit had a four-goal lead but held on in the final 10-plus minutes as the Flames fell just shy of completing a comeback.
“We’re not in the business of being mad about wins, but we have a higher standard than that, and we’re gonna need to show it (in Edmonton),” said Detroit forward Andrew Copp, who collected a pair of assists in Calgary.
“At this point of the year, you’ll never turn down two points. But after the first 10 minutes, we stopped skating.”
Detroit is seeking to snap a run of nine consecutive seasons without reaching the playoffs, and it is in a strong position after 31 games. Thanks to a 4-0-2 stretch, the Red Wings are atop the tight Atlantic Division. The division’s eight teams are separated by only nine points.
Knowing the margin of error is thin, the Red Wings are aware of the importance of playing a more complete game in Edmonton. They also are not dwelling too much on their third-period struggles against Calgary.
“Definitely some stuff to clean up, but overall we put ourselves in a good position to win that game,” said forward Alex DeBrincat, who scored twice and added an assist. “It’s not ideal to give up three in the third, but that’s the way it goes.”
The Oilers, meanwhile, will look to rebound from a 4-3 overtime loss on Tuesday to the Buffalo Sabres when they finish a five-game homestand. Edmonton erased a three-goal deficit in the third period against Buffalo but saw its two-game winning streak end.
A clash with the Red Wings is a chance to build momentum before embarking on a five-game road trip.
“We’ve played well for the most part this homestand, so it would be nice to finish it off with a win and then get on the road,” Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl said.
The Oilers sit in a playoff position but could use a big push in what has been a middling first third of the campaign.
Heading into the Detroit clash, the Oilers are on a 4-2-2 run, so they want to keep only positive thoughts. Even through they trailed by three goals to Buffalo, the Oilers are doing what they can to focus on what allowed them to earn a point.
“I really liked the group’s push-back,” Edmonton forward Zach Hyman said. “It’s easy to get down 3-0 and just go away and write the game off. But we didn’t do that. You’re able to claw yourself a point out of game where you put yourself in a hole. So I think that’s a positive.”
A huge difference in that game, according to Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, was making a point to drive to the net with pucks instead of over-passing.
“We just have to make it a little more ugly,” Knoblauch said. “And not make it poetic or trying to draw this picture.”
