Exhaustion Kicks in as Red Wings Fall to Oilers

The Red Wings suffered their first regulation loss of the road trip, 4-1, to the Edmonton Oilers, despite getting a majority of the dominant looks in the first period. The failure to convert early would lead to the Oilers comfortably snuffing out the Red Wings as Zach Hyman scored a hat trick. The Red Wings were on the second night of a back-to-back, and the exhaustion was visible. It has been weeks since the Red Wings have had multiple nights of rest. A weak third period and not being able to get high danger looks down the stretch was all too predictable in a loss that should be easy to shrug off.

Storylines:

McDavid to Hyman Connection: All three of Hyman’s goals came on primary assists from McDavid. Connor McDavid was able to find Hyman on the back door twice before he would help Hyman find the empty net. All in all, the Red Wings didn’t get into any passing lanes or cover Hyman, and it led to the big dogs in Edmonton pulling the wagon.

Cam Talbot Steady in Return to Crease: After Gibson has stolen the show as of late, Cam Talbot was back in the net against his former team and made a handful of great danger stops. While he didn’t get the win, Talbot certainly wasn’t the reason for the Red Wings loss. If he can give an effort like this consistently, Detroit’s goaltending woes should be cleared.

Raymond and Larkin Cool Off: It has been three games since Raymond or Larkin have recorded a point that wasn’t into an empty net. DeBrincat has picked up the slack, fortunately, but the top line could use some juice. Marco Kasper has been creating a lot, and in back-to-back games, Nate Danielson has missed an empty net. It might be time for him to return to the top line role from last season.

Detroit Heads to Chicago to End Road Trip: Kane will be back in Chicago with 497 goals; it would take a hat-trick for him to reach 500 against them, but it is something to watch out for. The Blackhawks have struggled defensively and in goal as of late; hopefully, the Red Wings can pounce on that to get back in the win column.

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