The Detroit Red Wings did just enough on Wednesday night to overcome the red-hot
Sam Gagner and the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-2 home ice victory at the Joe Louis Arena. The win extended Detroit's home-ice winning streak to 18 games and was a successful start to their six-game homestand throughout the dog days of February.
Coming off a difficult road trip which saw several players sustain injuries, the Wings had a short turnaround following their long flight home Tuesday morning from Phoenix after their 3-1 loss in the desert. Needless to say the coaching staff were nervous heading into this one as returning home from the West Coast with only one off day is typically a difficult scheduling spot for Eastern Time Zone clubs.
Luckily for Detroit, the opponent on this evening was the Edmonton Oilers. A team full of promising, young talent, the Oilers have struggled mightily over the course of the past 40 games, with a 12-25-3 over the past 40 games following an exceptional 9-3-2 to race out of the gates in the Western Conference.
Despite coming out in a sluggish manner last night, the Oilers were unable to take advantage of their quick start. Although the Wings ended up with a two-goal lead midway through the 2nd period as they began to take control of the match, the Oilers to their credit did not throw in the towel and behind the scoring prowess of Gagner and his two goals, the Oilers tied up the contest midway through the 3rd period.
That's when Detroit's unsung hero came to the rescue.
Drew Miller was "Johnny on the spot" to knock in a loose puck in the crease to score the eventual game-winner.
Henrik Zetterberg broke his scoring slump scoring his 10th of the year to provide the insurance in a 4-2 victory.
In an interesting note highlighting Detroit's depth, the Red Wings current "bottom 6" forwards of Cleary, Helm, Miller, Emmerton, Holmstrom and Abdelkader have a combined 46 goals on the season. You would be hard pressed to find another NHL club with more goal production thus far through the season from their "grinders" on the 3rd and 4th lines. When you add that production to the 33 goals produced from Red Wing blueliners thus far this season, it's no surprise why they have been able to offset the down year from Henrik Zetterberg or the lack of a true bonafide sniper amongst their top six forwards.
In goal,
Joey MacDonald wasn't heavily tested in only facing 17 shots, however he did make a couple of key saves among his 15 stops and certainly did not hinder the team's confidence that he can take the keys for the next few home games while
Jimmy Howard continues to let his right index finger heal.
Bottom line, the Red Wings played far from a full 60 minutes, but were able to pull ahead during the final 10 minutes of the hockey game and claim another two points and make amends for Saturday night's last minute collapse and shootout loss in Edmonton.
Daniel Cleary left midway during the game to get an injection in his sore left knee. Babcock suggested Cleary would be out for around 7-10 days, allowing for
Jan Mursak to return to the lineup after having only played 3 games during January since recovering from his fractured ankle.
************************************************************************
The worst kept secret in sports finally publicly has been confirmed today by the league in their dual announcements regarding the 2013 Winter Classic being held at Michigan Stadium between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.
In addition to the University of Michigan voting to approve the rental of their facility to the league for a rumored $3 million, the Board of Regents also approved liquor sales at the event and will be able to apply for a special 12-hour license to sell all the Labatt Blue (or likely the league's sponsored Bud Light) at the event.
In addition to the official announcement in Ann Arbor later this afternoon, a press conference is ongoing currently in Detroit announcing the numerous events to take place at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit leading up to the New Year's Day NHL tilt at Michigan Stadium. Dubbed the "Hockeytown Winter Festival", the events scheduled at Comerica Park include (dates tentative):
December 27th: AHL game between the Toronto Marlies and Grand Rapids Griffins
December 28th: OHL doubleheader (London Knights vs. Plymouth Whalers, Windsor Spitfires vs. Saginaw Spirit)
December 29th: Great Lakes Invitational doubleheader (NCAA Hockey)
December 30th: Great Lakes Invitational doubleheader (NCAA Hockey)
December 31st: Alumni game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs
Furthermore, there will be opportunities for the public to skate on the ice at Comerica Park throughout the week. Needless to say, the Ilitch family and the Red Wing organization appear committed to making this the best Winter Classic in the event's history.
Here is a link to a picture of the expected
rink configuration at Comerica Park.
[email protected]
Make sure to follow Mark on Twitter! 
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»