EDMONTON — Luke Glendening had a pair of goals as the Detroit Red Wings will head into the all-star break with a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
Dylan Larkin also scored for the Red Wings (19-25-7), who snapped a two-game losing skid.
Leon Draisaitl and Matt Benning responded for the Oilers (23-24-3), who have lost three in a row.
After a scoreless first period the Red Wings broke the deadlock four minutes into the second when Larkin sniped his 21st goal of the season on a quick wrist shot.
The Oilers got caught scrambling midway through the second, leading to a backhanded goal by Glendening.
Draisaitl swatted a puck in out of mid-air for his 27th 4:30 into the third period as Edmonton finally got on the board.
However, two minutes later Detroit restored its lead as Glendening somehow snuck in a bad angle shot past Koskinen.
The Oilers pulled their goalie early and it paid off with 2:26 left in the third on a point blast from Benning, but they were unable to get the equalizer.
Both teams now have lengthy breaks that see them off for the rest of the month. The Red Wings are off until Feb. 1, when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Oilers next see action on Feb. 2 when they head to Philadelphia.
Notes: It was the second and final meeting between the two teams this season. Edmonton won the previous game 4-3 on Nov. 3… Koskinen made his first start for the Oilers since signing a three-year contract with an average annual salary of $4.5 million on Monday… Two players the Oilers placed on waivers on Monday, Ty Rattie and Ryan Spooner both cleared waivers on Tuesday. Spooner dressed against Detroit, while Rattie was a healthy scratch… The Red Wings came into the game with a 3-9-2 record in their previous 14 games.
Shane Jones, The Canadian Press
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