Oilers halt losing streak, hammer Red Wings 6-2

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid controls the puck as he skates by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green during Wednesday's game in Detroit.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT — Jujhar Khaira scored to break a 2-2 tie in the second period, and the Edmonton Oilers went on to beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-2 on Wednesday night.

Edmonton halted a three-game losing streak, while the Wings lost their second straight.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid controls the puck as he skates by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green during Wednesday's game in Detroit.

Patrick Maroon, Darnell Nurse, Drake Caggiula, Jesse Puljujarvi and Mark Letestu also scored for the Oilers.

Niklas Kronwall and Tomas Tatar scored the Wings’ goals.

The Wings opened the scoring on the power play 7:25 into the game. Henrik Zetterberg passed quickly across to Tatar at the right faceoff dot and his one-timer beat Cam Talbot high on the glove side.

The Oilers pulled even one minute later. Nurse’s wrist shot from the point sailed through a sea of bodies and past a screened Jimmy Howard in the Detroit goal.

Edmonton went ahead 2-1 with 8:55 left in the first period. Maroon burst toward the Detroit net, accepted a pass from Leon Draisaitl and tucked a backhand shot between Howard’s pads.

Detroit pulled even with 1:35 remaining in the period. Kronwall threw the puck toward the Oilers net from along the left boards. It hit Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and deflected past Talbot.

Khaira gave the Oilers a 3-2 lead with 9:36 left in the second period when he beat Howard with a low wrist shot from the high slot.

Edmonton increased its lead nearly five minutes later. Howard gave up a fat rebound on a long shot by Mike Cammalleri and Letestu slammed it into the net. After the goal, Detroit coach Jeff Blashill replaced Howard with Petr Mrazek.

With 1:44 left in the second period, Connor McDavid dropped a pass to Caggiula, who hammered it past Mrazek.

Puljujarvi completed the scoring late in the third period.

NOTES: The Wings opted to go with Howard in goal for a fifth straight game, even though Mrazek posted a 36-save shutout against the Oilers at Edmonton on Nov. 5. ... The Oilers assigned C Brad Malone to Bakersfield of the American Hockey League and recalled D Ryan Stanton from the same club. Stanton was a healthy scratch Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Oilers: Travel to Buffalo to play the Sabres on Friday.

Red Wings: In New York on Friday to face the Rangers.