Oilers at Red Wings
The Edmonton Oilers are starting to put their game together, winning four of five as they prepare to kick off a four-game road trip Saturday against the resurgent Detroit Red Wings. The Oilers are 7-2-1 over their last 10 contests after opening the season with a pair of three-goal losses and are riding a four-game winning streak on the road.
Backup goaltender Mikko Koskinen, back in the NHL for the first time since the 2010-11 season, has been a surprise contributor during Edmonton's hot stretch, winning in Nashville last weekend and blanking Chicago on Thursday. "Great for him, he's been a good teammate the last month or month and a half," Oilers coach Todd McLellan told reporters. "Guys want to play for him." The Red Wings have been riddled with injuries and are expected to be without four starters Saturday, but they have answered the worst start in franchise history by ripping off three straight victories. "Momentum is a huge part of this league, and that's helping us a lot right now," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill told reporters.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Edmonton), FS Detroit
ABOUT THE OILERS (7-4-1): Coach Todd McLellan made a surprise move by elevating Drake Caggiula to the No. 1 line alongside captain Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and he responded by scoring twice in the 4-0 win over the Blackhawks. "The coaches put me in a new role today and I was happy to answer the bell," Caggiula, a 13-goal scorer last season, told reporters. "It's just one game and you just got to make sure you stay consistent." Alex Chiasson, who recorded a career-high 13 goals in 2013-14, scored for the second straight game to give him five tallies in his last six contests.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (4-7-2): Defenseman Johnathan Ericsson (undisclosed) had to sit out Friday's practice and will miss Saturday's game along with ailing forwards Frans Nielsen (undisclosed), Andreas Athanasiou (undisclosed) and Thomas Vanek (lower body), but blue-liner Danny DeKeyser (hand) is poised to return to the lineup after an eight-game absence. Michael Rasmussen, the ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft, has scored a power-play goal in back-to-back games. "It was good to see him get that goal because he's getting confidence out there," Nielsen told reporters. "He's only going to get better and better out there, I'm sure."
OVERTIME
1. McDavid, who is riding a six-game point streak, has recorded two goals and four assists in six career games versus Detroit.
2. Red Wings C Dylan Larkin has notched seven points in his last three contests.
3. Edmonton activated RW Ty Rattie (oblique) from injured reserve and assigned C Cooper Marody to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League.