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Oilers-Red Wings Preview

Mar 29, 2010 - 7:24 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Edmonton (24-44-7) at Detroit (39-23-13), 7:30 p.m. EDT

For a while, it looked like the Detroit Red Wings might not even make the playoffs, let alone earn a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup finals.

Now they are solidifying their status as a team that few opponents want to face.

The woeful Edmonton Oilers are surprisingly one club that has been more than up for the challenge against Detroit, and they can complete a four-game season sweep while ending the Red Wings' five-game winning streak Tuesday night.

Detroit (39-23-13) was tied for ninth in the Western Conference coming out of the Olympic break, but it has spent the stretch run climbing in the standings and making a case as a dangerous postseason opponent.

The Red Wings' 11-2-1 record since March 1 is the best in the league, and they knocked off another hot team Saturday night. Nashville had won seven of eight, but after 65 minutes, Niklas Kronwall's 11th-round shootout goal gave visiting Detroit a 1-0 victory.

The win was just the fifth in 14 shootouts for the Red Wings and first in their last five.

"Shootouts haven't been our friend this year," coach Mike Babcock said. "(Goaltender Jimmy Howard) did a great job, save after save after save. His confidence has got to be growing, that's a good thing for him and it's a good thing for us."

Howard is 8-0-1 with a 1.52 goals-against average since March 11.

Detroit could finish anywhere from fifth to eighth in the West, and it's clear that none of the top four seeds would relish seeing the two-time defending conference champions in the first round. The Red Wings are 10-3-4 against San Jose, Chicago, Vancouver and Phoenix.

"It sure helps being on the right side of the eight spot, being the team that's chasing and trying to catch up," defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom told the Red Wings' official Web site. "We're still not out of the woods yet, we know we still have to continue to win to make sure we're going to make it and be in the playoffs."

The conference's worst club, however, has had Detroit's number. Edmonton (24-44-7) has won all three meetings - two in shootouts - and is the only team to beat the Red Wings since March 9, winning 3-2 in a tiebreaker at Rexall Place on March 19.

Rookie Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves for his first NHL win after beginning the season 0-8-2 with a 4.16 goals-against average.

Dubnyk beat San Jose two days later, then Jeff Deslauriers started Edmonton's next two games. The 6-foot-5 Dubnyk was back in net Sunday in St. Louis, making 29 stops in a 2-1 loss.

"I felt pretty good," Dubnyk said. "I'm just trying to do the things that have allowed me to be successful in previous games. Being big is kind of the key to my game, and I just need to put myself in good position."

While the Oilers won 4-1 at Detroit on Dec. 3 behind two goals from Patrick O'Sullivan, they have been a virtual certainty to lose on the road over the past three months. Edmonton is 1-17-1 away from home since Dec. 23.

A loss Tuesday would guarantee that the Oilers finish with the fewest points in the league.