Mrazek helps Red Wings shut out Oilers

EDMONTON -- Petr Mrazek made 36 saves for his first shutout of the season, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Sunday.

Martin Frk and Anthony Mantha each had a goal and an assist, and Frans Nielsen and Gustav Nyquist also scored for Detroit (7-7-1), which has won three of four games after losing six straight.
WATCH: [All Red Wings vs. Oilers highlights]
"From the start, I thought that's the way we want to play hockey," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "I thought we got a little sloppy in the second turning some pucks over, so we've got to make sure we manage the puck. In the third, I thought we did a pretty good job."
Cam Talbot made 31 saves for Edmonton (4-8-1), which ended a five-game homestand (2-3-0).

"We just weren't good enough," Oilers captain Connor McDavid said. "We didn't have a terrible start, but they got a lucky one and the second goal could have been avoided. We just couldn't get ourselves back in the game from there."
Nielsen scored at 3:23 of the first period on a long deflection to give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead. He redirected a Nick Jensen shot from the right face-off dot.
"I didn't even know it went in, so I guess you can call it lucky," Nielsen said. "It was a big goal, you don't want to get behind in this building. It was good to see it go in."
Nyquist put Detroit up 2-0 at 9:10 of the first, getting to a loose puck off a scramble in front of Talbot. Henrik Zetterberg missed wide with a tip attempt from in close, but regained the puck off the end boards and threw it out in front where Nyquist got to it.

With 3:25 left in the period, Nyquist left the game with a lower-body injury, sustained in a knee-on-knee collision with Oilers defenseman Eric Gryba. Blashill said Nyquist was day to day.
Frk gave the Red Wings a 3-0 lead at 11:13 of the second period, converting a pass from Mantha on a 2-on-1 rush. Mantha faked a shot and slid the puck past Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson to Frk.
"I think things got away from us a little bit," Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said. "Definitely not the way we wanted to play after that first goal. For whatever reason, we just kind of stopped defending a little bit and kind of went for it. It wasn't our best night for sure. We just have to regroup now."
Mantha scored on the power play at 6:30 of the third period to make it 4-0. He got to a rebound in front off a shot by Frk from the point.
"I think [this was] one of the better games since I've been here," said Nielsen, who signed with Detroit on July 1, 2016, after 10 seasons with the New York Islanders. "It was 60 minutes, it was very few mistakes, we got pucks deep, [we] were good on the forecheck. It was a very solid, simple road game. Hopefully, we've learned something from it."

Mrazek made 15 saves in the third period for the 11th shutout of his NHL career. It was his second shutout against Edmonton.
"The key is to have a couple of shots in the first period, so you're in the game," Mrazek said. "I think they had two or three quick shots that put me in the game."

Goal of the game

Frk's goal at 11:13 of the second period.

Save of the game

Mrazek's save on Kailer Yamamoto at 3:04 of the second period to keep Detroit up 2-0.

Highlight of the game

Nielsen's goal at 3:23 of the first period.

They said it

"If they get to the middle, they make great plays, that's just the kind of players they are. We had to keep them on the outside. They can run around the outside in our zone for a minute and a half, but they don't get any scoring chances." -- Red Wings forward Anthony Mantha on the key to shutting out Edmonton
"We're not playing fast enough. When you describe fast you think about Connor flying down the wing and beating somebody 1-on-1, that's fast, but the group has to be fast as a whole. We're not quick enough to loose pucks, we don't keep enough plays alive in the offensive zone. Some of that is actual skating pace, a lot of that is just reading and reacting." -- Oilers coach Todd McLellan

Need to know

Nielsen played his 700th NHL game. … Detroit is 31-5-16 against Edmonton since 2001-2002. … The Oilers have not won consecutive games all season. … McDavid had a season-low 15:55 of ice time.

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What's next

Red Wings: At the Vancouver Canucks on Monday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, FS-D, NHL.TV).
Oilers: At the New York Islanders on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TVA Sports, MSG+, SNOL, NHL.TV)