Losing streak reaches three games as Oilers fall in Detroit: Recap, Highlights, and Reaction

About three minutes later, the Wings scored their second of the game, as Emmitt Finnie pounced on a juicy rebound. The Oilers cut their lead in half 31 seconds later, as Noah Philp deflected the puck past John Gibson to get the Oilers on the board.

Late in the second period, the Red Wings restored their two-goal lead, as Larkin’s shot from the half board beat a heavily screened Skinner to give the Wings a 3-1 lead heading to the second intermission.

The Oilers showed some life in the final 15 minutes of the third period, culminating with Brett Kulak finding Leon Draisaitl on the doorstep with just over 12 minutes left to play. Draisaitl had a golden opportunity to tie the game late as he had a breakaway, but the puck bounced off his stick to end the threat. Shortly after, Finnie scored his second of the game for the 4-2 victory.

Takeaways…

This season has started so poorly for the Oilers. Their new defensive structure hasn’t really worked, especially on the road trip, but it’s also hindered their offence quite a bit. They’re tied for the eighth-fewest goals in the league, a bit worrisome given that Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are on the team.

Speaking of McDavid, his five-game point streak ended. Once again, he had a golden opportunity to shoot the puck in the slot on the rush, but decided to pass it off. It was immediately picked off and cleared. He needs to be better.

It’s still mindboggling that Noah Philp was scratched for not just one, not just two, but three games after scoring his first career goal in the Oilers’ 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks last Saturday. He proved he should remain in the lineup, as he scored his second goal in as many games.

Matthew Savoie was bumped up to the top power play unit and was noticeable in this game, as was Ike Howard, who had a few shots on goal. At some point, they have to be elevated in the lineup as Adam Henrique hasn’t been performing well this season.

Brett Kulak had two points and was the Oilers’ best skater. The same cannot be said for Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard, or Mattias Ekholm, as all three players had a tough game, despite Ekholm getting an assist. Through six games, Bouchard is pointless with a -5. Nurse hasn’t been good all season.

It was another rough game for Stuart Skinner, stopping 21 of 24 shots for an .875 save percentage. He didn’t have much of a chance on the first and third goals, but the second goal was scored because he directed the rebound into the slot. That said, the Oilers aren’t scoring a whole lot this season, so it’s hard to blame him for losses.

Coming into this game, three of the last four games between these two teams finished 3-2 in overtime or a shootout. While there wasn’t a chance for this game to end 3-2 in overtime, the Wings might have won the game by a score of 3-2 until Finnie scored his second of the game.

Next up for the Oilers is the conclusion of their road trip, a matchup against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at 5:00 PM ET.