Larkin & Finnie Power Red Wings to 4-2 Win Over Oilers

The Detroit Red Wings (5-1-0) hosted the Edmonton Oilers (2-3-1) in a Sunday matinée (Oct. 19). Edmonton came into this contest on a two-game losing streak, while Detroit brought a four-game winning streak into this matchup. Both streaks continued as the home side came away with the 4-2 victory. Here’s your game recap.

Game Recap

The first period was sloppy, with Detroit generating most of the offence. The Red Wings had a 13-2 scoring chance advantage, with six high-danger chances to Edmonton’s zero. Despite that, the game was scoreless after the opening frame, with the Red Wings having a 7-3 shot advantage.

The Red Wings opened the scoring 8:51 into the second period. Ben Chiarot found Dylan Larkin for the one-timer, and the captain made no mistake, ripping a shot over the blocker of goaltender Stuart Skinner. Then, after a successful penalty kill, Detroit made it 2-0 with Emmitt Finnie’s first NHL goal 11:54 into the middle frame.

Less than one minute later, Noah Philp got Edmonton on the board with a deflection off a point shot from Vasily Podkolzin, through the legs of goaltender John Gibson.

Larkin added another with 2:55 remaining in the period to restore Detroit’s two-goal lead on a shot from the right faceoff circle that Skinner would like back. The home team took a 3-1 lead into the second intermission, while having a 17-11 shot advantage.

The Oilers cut the lead to one 7:33 into the final frame. Brett Kulak’s cross-seam pass found Leon Draisaitl, and he one-timed the puck into the gaping cage. There were nearly 12 minutes without a whistle, until Detroit sealed the deal with an empty-netter, courtesy of Finnie’s second of the game. 

Gibson stopped 16 of 18 shots for an .889 save percentage (SV%) in the victory, while Skinner stopped 21 of 24 shots for an .875 SV% in defeat.

The Oilers conclude their five-game road trip on Tuesday (Oct. 21) against the Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, the Red Wings begin a mini two-game road trip on Wednesday (Oct. 22) against the Buffalo Sabres.