The Detroit Red Wings took their six-game points streak into Edmonton, setting up to extend it against an Oilers team that has been very suspect. Unfortunately, Zach Hyman was enjoying a good evening and beat the Red Wings with a hat trick en route to a 4-1 final.
Coming on a back-to-back during a road trip out west, it's hard to play good hockey all the time, so a game like this was bound to happen. And to be honest, the Wings looked exhausted. They won just 45.8 percent of their face-offs, landed a meager nine hits, blocked 11 shots, and were lethargic on the power play.
Goaltender Cam Talbot tried keeping them in the game, topping 25 of 28 shots that came his way, but it wasn't enough. For the Wings, the best option is to regroup and get ready for their next game against the Chicago Blackhawks in what should be a showdown featuring two fast-rising teams.
Olympic ice quality still a concern as the 2026 Milan Games draw nearer
There have been a lot of questions and concerns involving the ice quality for the 2026 Milan Games. Right now, the ice is measuring shorter in length, closer to international standards, while the width is closer to NHL specs, giving players a shorter, narrower playing surface.
Safety quality has become the hot topic, since the league has never played on a shorter, narrower surface in the past Olympic games. When the NHL sent its players to previous Olympics, they either played on an international-standard surface, a modified international-standard surface, or an NHL-standard surface.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka coming into his own
Axel Sandin-Pellikka neither helped nor hurt the Red Wings in Thursday's loss to the Edmonton Oilers, finishing the game with a 0-rating and over 20 minutes of average ice time. But in the games before Thursday night, Sandin-Pellikka was on a four-game point streak with five total points.
That's awesome news for Red Wings fans who are expecting Sandin-Pellikka to take the next step in his development and transform into the team's next top-four defenseman. Things are looking up for the young Swede, and that trend should continue as he now has 32 games of NHL experience.
You'll see Sandin-Pellikka and the rest of the Red Wings in action on Saturday, Dec. 13, when they skate into Chicago. Should the Wings take it, they will complete a road trip that saw them win most of their contests, which could be a turning point for this team's fortunes on the road.