The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on October 19, 2025, at Little Caesars Arena, securing their fifth consecutive victory. Captain Dylan Larkin recorded two goals and two assists, while Emmitt Finnie scored his first two NHL goals in the win. The Oilers suffered their third straight loss despite goals from Noah Philp and Leon Draisaitl.
Game Overview
The Red Wings improved to 5-1-0, while the Oilers fell to 2-3-1. Detroit's new top line of Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Emmitt Finnie combined for nine points, including four goals and five assists. Raymond returned after missing two games due to an upper-body injury, contributing two assists. The Oilers were held to 18 shots, with goaltender Stuart Skinner making 21 saves on 24 shots for an .875 save percentage. John Gibson earned the win for Detroit, stopping 16 of 18 shots for an .889 save percentage and adding an assist.
Key Moments
The first period ended scoreless, with Detroit dominating scoring chances 13-2 and outshooting Edmonton 7-3. In the second period, Larkin opened the scoring at 8:51 with a one-timer from the slot, assisted by Ben Chiarot and Raymond. Finnie followed at 11:54, tipping in Jacob Bernard-Docker's shot for his first NHL goal, with Larkin assisting. Noah Philp cut the deficit to 2-1 at 12:25, deflecting Vasily Podkolzin's point shot. Larkin restored the two-goal lead at 17:05, his wrist shot deflecting off Mattias Ekholm's skate, assisted by Finnie and Gibson.
In the third, Draisaitl made it 3-2 at 7:33 with a one-timer off Brett Kulak's pass. There were no stoppages for over 11 minutes until Finnie sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:38, assisted by Raymond and Larkin. Oilers forward Kasperi Kapanen left early in the first period with an undisclosed injury, with no update available. Red Wings forward Patrick Kane missed the game due to an upper-body injury.
Post-Game Perspectives
Red Wings coach Todd McLellan praised Larkin's defensive work against Connor McDavid and Draisaitl: “Dylan can skate with Connor. Tonight, he accepted the challenge and did a great job.” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch noted execution issues: “Tonight there were a lot of missed passes and some poor execution.” Draisaitl added, “I think we’re playing fine defensively, we’re just not scoring enough, and some of that is me."
The win highlighted Detroit's improved penalty kill and balanced play, as McLellan said, “Our goalies are giving us a chance every game, we’re not giving up 40-45 shots against, and the penalty kill has improved."