Recap: Red Wings shut down red-hot Oilers with 4-2 statement win

DETROIT -- The Edmonton Oilers came into Detroit on Tuesday night riding high with a four-game winning streak, a 9-1-0 record and the highest-scoring offense in the NHL. But the Detroit Red Wings were up to the task, outplaying the Pacific Division leaders for a 4-2 win at Little Caesars Arena.
Vladislav Namestnikov scored two goals, Dylan Larkin scored his fourth goal of the season, Moritz Seider added an empty-netter and goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made 31 saves to help Detroit extend its winning streak to three consecutive games.
With the win, the Red Wings improved to 7-5-2 this season, while the Oilers fell to 9-2-0 on the year with the loss.

Namestnikov said he thinks Tuesday's game was one of Detroit's best performances of the season.
"I think it's one of them for sure. The first two periods, we didn't give them much at all," Namestnikov said after the game. "I think in the second period, their first shot was at the 11-minute mark. We limited their chances, and if we play every game like that, it's going to be a good season."

After both teams traded chances early in the first, Nedeljkovic brought the Detroit crowd to its feet with a highlight-reel stick save on Edmonton forward Jesse Puljujarvi at 6:39 of the first period to maintain the scoreless frame.
The Red Wings opened the scoring when defenseman Slater Koekkoek sent an errant pass from his knees that went directly to Sam Gagner near Detroit's blue line. Gagner, who played his 900th NHL game Tuesday, quickly found Namestnikov, who was off to the races.
Namestnikov gained the zone and made a pretty move in front of the net, going from the forehand to the backhand to beat 23-year-old Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner and give the Red Wings a 1-0 lead with 5:57 remaining in the first period.
The Red Wings outshot the Oilers, 16-9, in the first period and took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Detroit picked up where it left off to start the second period, peppering Skinner with early shots. The Red Wings, which didn't give up a shot on goal the first 4:41 of the game, went 8:43 into the second without needing Nedeljkovic to make a save.
Just after Detroit's first power play of the game, Adam Erne made an unbelievable flip pass from behind the net with one hand on his stick to find Michael Rasmussen, who quickly fed the puck to Filip Hronek.
Hronek fired a shot from the blue line that Skinner saved, but Namestnikov was right on the doorstep and buried the tap-in rebound to give the Red Wings a 2-0 lead 6:43 into the second period.

Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said he was impressed with Namestnikov's performance against the Oilers.
"I think tonight was a really, really good game for Vladdy. I thought he played really well," Blashill said. "The goals are part of it, but I thought his whole game was really good. We need production throughout the lineup. It's critically important. Vladdy's production is important and I think the play he played tonight was critical."
The 23-year-old Skinner, who was making just his second NHL start, made his first big mistake of the game when he partially fanned on a pass from right outside the goal which ended up in the crease.
Larkin swooped in and made a veteran move to lift Skinner's stick and swipe the puck from the rookie goaltender for a wide-open goal to give Detroit a commanding 3-0 lead with 5:51 left in the second.

But the Red Wings knew it'd be tough to keep the NHL's most potent offense off the score sheet, and after an entertaining offensive sequence for Detroit, a bad bounce led to Edmonton's first goal.
After a Red Wings barrage, Puljujarvi secured a bouncing puck in the defensive zone, used his speed to beat the Red Wings' defense and went one-on-one with Nedeljkovic. The Oilers forward beat the Detroit goaltender with a lightning-quick, top-shelf shot to make the score 3-1 with 34 seconds left in the second.
The Oilers made it a one-goal game just 38 seconds into the third period as Connor McDavid extended his league-leading point streak to 11 straight games with a goal to cut Detroit's lead to 3-2.
But the Red Wings dug in defensively and Nedeljkovic stood on his head throughout the third period to keep the Oilers at bay with a one-goal lead.
Namestnikov said Nedeljkovic was one of the biggest factors for Detroit's win, especially with his performance in the third period.
"He was unreal today," Namestnikov said about the Red Wings goalie. "If it wasn't for him at the end, who knows how the game could've went. He stood on his head. We rely on both of our goalies and they're both unbelievable."
Edmonton pulled Skinner with less than two minutes to go in the third, and the reigning NHL Rookie of the Month put the game away as Seider potted an empty-net goal with six seconds left to slam the door on the Oilers.

Nick Leddy and Rasmussen earned assists on the empty-netter, giving Rasmussen his first multi-point game of the season.
Blashill said he was happy with the way his team battled against the high-scoring Oilers.
"I thought our battle level was extremely high throughout," he said. "We weren't perfect defensively, but I think we're learning, and I think there were areas where we took a step tonight."
The Red Wings will attempt to extend their winning streak to four consecutive games on Thursday night as they host the Washington Capitals for Military Appreciation Night at Little Caesars Arena, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m.