WHAT'S NEXT
The Oilers have a nine-day bye week for the All-Star Game before returning to action on Saturday, Feb. 2 in Philadelphia against the Flyers The game can be seen on Sportsnet and heard on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED. Puck drop is 11:08 a.m. MST.
POST-GAME UPDATES
Inside the Oilers Blog
Second-period goals from Dylan Larkin and Glendening had the Red Wings ahead through 40 minutes before Draisaitl halved the deficit 4:31 into the third.
It would be short-lived, as Glendening added his second through Koskinen's five-hole 118 seconds later to nullify Benning's late goal and hold off one-way traffic from the Oilers in the final frame.
"We found our game and built our game, but chasing a two-goal deficit into the third period isn't a good spot," defenceman Darnell Nurse, who added an assist, said post-game.
The Oilers have lost three straight heading into the all-star break and a nine-day bye week, falling to 23-24-3 on the season.
"It's important," Nurse spoke of the upcoming break. "Sometimes you need a refresh and hit the reset button because we're going to be in a dog fight the rest of the season."
Draisaitl had a goal and assist, and Mikko Koskinen made 24 saves in his first game after signing a new three-year contract on Monday.
"I can't be happy with the first goal. It was a bad read by me," Koskinen said. "The third one I would like to have back, but it's not possible. What we can do now is move on."
Koskinen was the most active Oiler in the opening 10 minutes, with the Finnish netminder needing to be sharp early when he denied Mike Green at the goalmouth inside the first 90 seconds after Alex Petrovic was stripped of the puck below the red line.
The Oilers got their two best opportunities of the period shorthanded when Kyle Brodziak and Zack Kassian's odd-man rush was stood up by Jimmy Howard before McDavid struck iron half a minute later with 6:22 remaining in the period.
Koskinen came up big again for the Oilers, sprawling out to get his glove to the backhand glove by Andreas Athanasiou on a partial breakaway. Draisaitl then took on goalkeeping duties in the dying seconds of the frame by blocking a sure-fire Red Wings goal for Dylan Larkin on the red line with less than 10 seconds on the clock.
