Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Red Wings are set to conclude their three-game homestand on Sunday afternoon with a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers at Little Caesars Arena. The Red Wings, currently on a four-game winning streak and holding a 4-1-0 record, will face an Oilers team that has won two of its first four games this season.

Sunday’s game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. puck drop and will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and the Red Wings Radio Network (97.1 The Ticket in Detroit).

J.T. Compher, reflecting on the team's recent performance, said, “It’s easier to learn when you’re winning. I think we still have things to improve on. We were working on face-off plays [in Saturday’s practice] and getting on the same page, so there’s still a lot to work on and improve. That’s the daily goal…We’re doing a good job of managing games, and that’s why were giving ourselves a chance to win games right now.”

Head coach Todd McLellan emphasized the importance of continued focus after Friday night’s overtime victory against Tampa Bay: “The confidence is great,” McLellan said. “We’ve earned the right to feel good about ourselves, but we don’t just hand in the paper and walk away. This test goes on forever -- there’s tomorrow and then there’s the next day. We can’t give anything back. I’m not talking about wins and losses. We have to continue to move our team forward…Being confident and feeling good about yourself is a real thing, but letting it slip sometimes comes with that. We’re going to try to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Compher also highlighted Detroit's strengths during their current streak: “First and foremost, we’re getting really good goaltending right now,” Compher said. “Both of those guys are playing really well, and we’re finding different ways to win. We’re comfortable having third-period leads. Whether it goes perfectly or not, kind of like [Friday] when we let one in, but we stuck with it to get the two points.”

Edmonton enters Sunday's contest following a 5-3 loss against the New Jersey Devils—their second consecutive defeat—during their weekend road trip.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid leads his team with seven assists this season; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins follows with six points (four goals, two assists), while Leon Draisaitl has recorded four points (three goals, one assist). Goalie Calvin Pickard made 18 saves in their latest outing.

McLellan previously coached Edmonton from 2015-19 and drew comparisons between Oilers stars McDavid and Draisaitl's early NHL development and Detroit's rookie trio Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Emmitt Finnie, and Axel Sandin-Pellikka: “They came and they wanted to learn,” McLellan said about McDavid and Draisaitl. “They were hungry, and we had confidence in playing them… Don’t put that pressure on our young guys because they’re not McDavid or Draisaitl, but it feels like that a little bit -- real good human beings that are sponges right now. They want to do well and they’re taking it all in.”