Entering the season the Red Wings and the Oilers were at opposite ends of the spectrum for playoff expectations. On Tuesday night, Detroit seemed to catch Edmonton on an off day after the Oilers started the season winning nine of their first ten games. The Wings were led by Vladislav Namestnikov, who potted a pair of goals in the first two periods of play. It was the first game of a five-game Eastern road trip for the Oilers, and the second in a four-game homestand for Detroit, having beaten Las Vegas 5-2 on Sunday.
The Oilers opted to start backup goaltender Stuart Skinner against the Wings, likely saving Mikko Koskinen for the next game on Thursday when they visit the Bruins in Boston. Skinner had a nice game overall, allowing three goals on thirty-eight total shots from Detroit, but was outdueled by the suddenly red-hot Alex Nedeljkovic, who has taken on a bulk of the goaltending duties in the early season.
Detroit captain Dylan Larkin made the game 3-0 half way through the second, on an unassisted effort. It was Larkin’s fourth goal of the season after missing three games for personal reasons. Larkin is the leader in the Detroit locker room and is coming off a difficult offseason after a scary injury suffered at the hands of Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn. Larkin spent a night in hospital and eight weeks in a neck brace after Benn cross-checked him in the spine at the end of last season. Recovery and rehabilitation slowed down his offseason training, but Larkin managed to get himself in game shape for the start of the year.
Edmonton seemed to not take kindly to the change in time zones as the offense slept through the first two periods. Jesse Pulujarvi finally managed to break through for Edmonton as he beat Nedeljkovic on a breakaway with 34 seconds left in the second period making it 3-1. The Red Wings faithful were no doubt sweating after superstar Connor McDavid scored thirty-eight seconds into the third period. It was McDavid’s ninth goal in eleven games to start the year as the two-time NHL MVP looks poised to make another run at a league scoring title.
The Wings managed to stave off the Oilers in the third period as Edmonton fired twelve more shots at Nedeljkovic, who turned them all away. Rookie defenseman Moritz Seider potted an empty-net goal with six seconds left in the game to ice the win for the Red Wings. The Wings are out to a fast start this season, as they currently sit second in the Atlantic Division behind the red-hot Florida Panthers.
It was a sweet victory for veteran forward Sam Gagner, who suited up in his 900th career NHL game. Gagner was originally drafted by the Oilers in 2007, and suited up for the franchise in two different stints during his career. Gagner recorded an assist on the first Namestnikov goal in the first period, and was a +2 on the night while recording two hits.
For Namestnikov, his career seems to have come full circle as the skilled center from Zhukovskiy, Russia has experienced the highs and lows over the past few seasons. Namestnikov was originally drafted by current Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman when he was in charge of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The talented sniper was drafted 27th overall in 2011, but never really lived up to the hype in Tampa.
Namestnikov bounced around the league after that with brief stints with the New York Rangers, the Ottawa Senators, and the Colorado Avalanche, before finally signing a two-year $4 million deal with Detroit last season. Namestnikov is now up to seven goals this season, after totaling eight all of last year. The 28-year old Russian is still in his prime but is a veteran presence on this young Red Wings team as it continues to work its way through a rebuild.
If the name sounds familiar, Namestnikov is the son of former NHLer Evgeny Namestnikov, who is currently an amateur scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Namestnikov has some Red Wings royalty in his bloodline as well. His uncle on his mother’s side is former Red Wings great Vyacheslav Kozlov, who won two Stanley Cups with Detroit in 1997 and 1998.
The Oilers were relatively quiet on Tuesday, aside from the two minutes of playing time at the end of the second and start of the third where they scored. McDavid’s partner in crime Leon Draisaitl was rendered ineffective as the German power forward ended the night with zero shots on goal and a -2 rating overall.
At the start of the season, this matchup would have been lopsided on paper although games on the ice often play out differently than we perceive. The Oilers entered the game as -165 road favorites with an over under goal total of 6.5. Edmonton is one team that usually attracts a higher goal total in its games due to the offensive firepower it has at its disposal. Being a road favorite is a classic sports betting trap, as home-ice advantage is often a factor that cannot be quantified in the odds.
With the rise in popularity of legal sports betting over the past couple of years, the Oilers have become a popular public team to bet on. Just last week, New York sports betting for mobile sportsbooks was finally legalized, following in the recent footsteps of other major states like Illinois and Arizona earlier this year. The star power of McDavid and Draisaitl, are quickly elevating the Oilers to the level of other public teams like the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA and the New York Yankees in the MLB.
The Oilers will continue on their Eastern road trip with matchups against the Bruins, the Sabres, the Blues, and the Jets, while the Red Wings will welcome the Capitals and the Canadiens to cap off this mini homestand. The Oilers and Wings will meet again on March 15, 2022 in Edmonton.
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