There hasn’t been a common thread to the Detroit Red Wings’ four-game winning streak. They don’t care how they reach that end result as long as the victories keep piling up.
The Red Wings host Edmonton on Sunday afternoon to complete a three-game homestand. Detroit pulled out a 2-1 triumph over Tampa Bay on Friday, with Dylan Larkin scoring on an overtime breakaway.
Detroit also recorded home-and-home wins over Toronto, as well as a 4-1 win over two-time defending champion Florida. The Red Wings opened their season with a 5-1 loss to Montreal.
“We’ve seen a little bit of everything,” coach Todd McLellan said. “We’ve seen our team play really well, where we’re completely in charge. We’ve seen a goaltender steal a game in Toronto. We’ve seen a fairly well-played game coming back here. (Friday), we kind of saw two games in one.”
Defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka scored his first career goal during the first period against the Lightning. The Wings dominated in the early going, then scrambled in vain to hold the slim lead as Tampa Bay scored with 3:43 remaining. Unsurprisingly, Larkin came to the rescue. He’s collected at least one point in each game.
Sandin-Pellikka is one of three rookies who have received steady playing time.
“We just feel like we can keep playing them,” McLellan said. “They’re not often at the scene of the crime for mistakes. Yeah, they make some (but) they’re hungry and they’re effective right now, and we’ll keep playing them.”
John Gibson made 31 saves in his second start this season. Gibson previously allowed five goals in less than two periods to the Canadiens. Cam Talbot recorded the first three victories before Gibson, who was acquired in a trade with Anaheim during the offseason, got a chance to redeem himself.
“That’s what I kind of pride myself on,” Gibson said. “When you have a bad one, you’ve got to follow it up with a good one. So I tried to do that (Friday) and the team helped me out. It was nice to get the win.”
The Oilers will be playing the second game of a back-to-back. They lost to New Jersey, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon.
Edmonton’s offense hasn’t clicked through the first five games this season. The Oilers haven’t yet scored more than three goals in a game.
“Things are a little stale, a little stagnant,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We have to speed our game up a little more, and the faster you play, the more you’re putting them on their heels and that’s where you force them to make mistakes.”
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has scored three of his team-high four goals in the last two games. Superstar Connor McDavid has a team-best seven points but all have come on assists. Leon Draisaitl has three goals.
“When you’re scoring goals and firing on all cylinders, you can afford a mistake here and there,” McDavid said. “We can’t afford to make mistakes right now with the way we’re going offensively. We have to find a way to clean up the mistakes first and then get ourselves going offensively.”
–Field Level Media
