Roar Reaction: Red Wings Hold Off Oilers For Upset Win
What Happened
The Detroit Red Wings extended their winning streak to three games in a row with an impressive upset of the NHL’s best team, the Edmonton Oilers, 4-2, at Little Caesars Arena. Vladislav Namestnikov scored twice, with the captain Dylan Larkin adding an unassisted goal, as the Red Wings moved in to second place in the Atlantic Division. Alex Nedeljkovic continued his solid first season in the winged wheel with 31 saves, doing the job to keep his team in front before Moritz Seider sealed it with an empty netter. The Wings led 3-0, but Connor McDavid and Oilers started a comeback, including McDavid extending his point streak to 11 games with a goal. But that comeback fell short, ending the Oilers’ win streak at four games with their second loss of the season.
What We Saw
The solid start may now start to feel like a legitimate upswing in the rebuilding process, with this win feeling like the statement fans needed to see to start to believe. The pressure on the offensive end continues to be encouraging, as it seems as if the Wings have found options outside of Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. To out-shoot a powerful offensive team, 39-33, is no easy feat, and neither is holding a team that was 50% on the power play coming in at 0-for-2. The Wings did both of those on Tuesday night, with Nedeljkovic continuing to look like a bright off-season acquisition, and it was looking like a dominant win before they start to let it slip away late. That came from sloppy play, including a horrible looking third period power play that saw more shorthanded opportunities for the Oilers than on the other end of the ice. The next step in this process is for the team not to take their foot off the gas pedal, so solid starts and 3-0 leads don’t go to waste down the road.
What’s Next
The Wings will stay home for another battle with Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals Thursday night, this after they downed the Caps in overtime on October 27th.