Detroit Red Wings stick tight with Stanley Cup runners-up in 3-2 OT loss to Edmonton

The Detroit Red Wings showed they can play with pace and with the puck as they took on last season's Stanley Cup runner-up.

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers made their sole appearance of the season Sunday at Little Caesars Arena, catching the Wings on a back-to-back. The game was settled 18 seconds into overtime, 3-2 to the Oilers, when Leon Draisaitl scored his second of the game.

The Wings were able to built leads on goals from J.T. Compher — with another memorable play by Patrick Kane — and Andrew Copp, but Draisaitl scored in the second period and set up Evan Bouchard in the third as the Oilers pressed around Cam Talbot.

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Copp, who also had an assist, was called for tripping with 1:51 to play, spilling into overtime.

Playing with the puck

The Wings scored on their first shot on net, 3:28 into the period, when Kane set up Compher for a 20-foot wrist shot that eluded ex-Wing Calvin Pickard. Finally, after a string of games of being badly outshot, the Wings played with the puck and took shot after, driving up a 10-1 edge. When Joe Veleno and Corey Perry sparred with 4:39 to play in the period, the Oilers had only just registered their second shot on Talbot. The Wings finished the first period with a 13-5 edge in shots — two more than the total amount they had at the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

New look, no look

The Wings were coming off a 5-3 loss Saturday at the Buffalo Sabres, leading to lineup changes. Defensemen Olli Määttä and Albert Johansson were inserted as the third pair, while Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson were scratched. Up front, Copp was moved up to play with Compher and Kane, which also meant Marco Kasper and Jonatan Berggren gained Vladimir Tarasenko as a linemate. The first goal was all the second line: Compher won the draw, and Copp went to the boards to fight for the puck. He ended up kicking a pass to Kane, who, despite facing the glass, was able to fire a pass that perfectly connected with Compher.

Give and take

Draisaitl, who had buzzed around Detroit's net multiple times, picked up his fifth goal of the season when his pass deflected in off Määttä. That was at 8:46. Within a minute, the Wings had their lead back. Jeff Petry fired a shot from the right circle that Copp deflected and turned into his fourth goal of the season, with Kane also drawing an assist, giving him his second multipoint game in three outings.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com . Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames .

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Her latest book, “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings , A Curated History of the Red Wings,” was released October 2024. Her books, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon , Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings stick tight with Stanley Cup runners-up in 3-2 OT loss to Edmonton