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For more on the Detroit Red Wings, check out SB Nation's Winging it in Motown.
The Red Wings have won nine of their last ten and two straight, but if they're going to remain atop the NHL in points, they'll have to do it for the next couple weeks (at least) without the NHL's winningest goaltender this season, Jimmy Howard. Howard is out with a broken finger, which means Ty Conklin is likely to get the start in net tonight against the Oilers, who have won two straight themselves.
Howard broke the finger in Detroit's shootout win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night and may need up to six weeks for it to heal. Currently, the Red Wings are first in the NHL in points with 71, just two ahead of the New York Rangers and four points ahead of the closest two in the Western Conference.
Edmonton is coming off Sam Gagner's historic eight-point performance on Thursday, the first to achieve such an accomplishment since Mario Lemieux in 1988! The Oilers are 3-0-1 in their last four games and have lost both games against the Red Wings this season, so they will be looking for blood.
Red Wings Vs. Oilers Final Score: Detroit Falls To Edmonton 5-4 In Shootout
It didn't take long for the Detroit Red Wings to miss injured goaltender Jimmy Howard, as the Western Conference leaders dropped a wild game to the Edmonton Oilers, 5-4 after an overtime shootout.
Edmonton center Sam Gagner backed up his eight point performance against Chicago on Thursday with three more points against Detroit. Gagner started the scoring with a goal less than three minutes into the game, the first of three Edmonton goals in the first period that would chase Detroit goaltender Ty Conklin to the bench.
Joey MacDonald held up well between the pipes in relief allowing the Red Wings to mount a rally in the third period. Todd Bertuzzi score a pair of goals in the third sandwiched around a Drew Miller goal to give the Red Wings a 4-3 lead as they appeared on their way to sneaking out of Edmonton with an impressive win.
But Edmonton center Jason Eberle found the net with just 39 seconds remaining in the game to force the game into overtime and eventually a six-round shootout. Bertuzzi scored the only shootout goal for Detroit while Gagner and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins beat MacDonald for the Oilers.
Edmonton gaoltender Devan Dubnyk denied Detroit's last chance shot by Dan Cleary to preserve the upset win.
The Red Wings remain on the road for their next game, playing at Phoenix to wrap up a five-game road trip.
For more on the Detroit Red Wings, check out Winging it in Motown.
Feb 05 8:58a by Tom Lewis