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In his inaugural NHL start, goaltender Michal Postava turned aside 26 of 28 shots through regulation and overtime to backstop the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Monday, October 26. The win concluded Detroit's four-game Western Conference road swing.
Postava, who had made his league debut in relief the previous week, preserved the tie with a point-blank save at the top of the crease with just under seven seconds remaining in overtime. In the shootout, he denied Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the first two attempts before stopping Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to seal the win. Lucas Raymond provided the only shootout goal, his second of the trip.
The 24-year-old Czech netminder entered Monday with a 1.25 goals-against average and a .954 save percentage for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL, though he had allowed a goal on eight shots in 20 minutes against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. Against the Oilers, Postava kept Edmonton at bay with 11 saves on 12 shots through the first two periods.
The third period, however, presented a different challenge. Back-to-back penalties left Detroit shorthanded for nearly four minutes. After killing off the first penalty—assessed to Viktor Arvidsson seconds into the period but served by Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—the Wings surrendered a goal to Isaac Howard, who sniped from the left faceoff circle with six seconds left on the second penalty (a tripping call on Brandsegg-Nygard just after he exited the box). The goal was Howard's first of the season; he won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player in 2025 with Michigan State.
Detroit responded just 30 seconds later, as Arvidsson—fresh from being bloodied during his early third-period penalty—fed Emmitt Finnie in front for his fifth goal of the season, tying the game at 2-2. After a back-and-forth third, the Wings were beaten by a deflection off Colton Dach's stick from the left faceoff circle that sailed just under the crossbar and over Postava's left shoulder to break the tie.
With Postava pulled for an extra attacker, Dylan Larkin scored with 77 seconds remaining to tie it again, netting his second goal of the season.
The overtime loss kept Detroit (4-4-4) just above the Eastern Conference basement with 12 points, two behind the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens (who hold the tiebreaker with one fewer game played). The Tampa Bay Lightning occupy the first wild-card spot with 15 points. The Wings will have a chance to gain ground on the Florida teams next month with a two-game, two-night road trip to the Sunshine State on November 2-3.
Key Analysis
Edmonton's dynamic duo of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid showcased their potency early, combining to assist on the opening goal 6:10 into the first period. Draisaitl took a pass from McDavid and fired from the right faceoff circle; the puck ricocheted off Vasily Podkolzin, who was tangled with Detroit's Carter Mazur at the top of the crease, and past Postava. The assist was McDavid's 26th in 12 games, the best start for helpers in NHL history, surpassing Mario Lemieux's 23 assists in 12 games in 1988-89.
Detroit's scoring leader Alex DeBrincat got going in the second period, picking up his 13th point (six goals, seven assists) on Arvidsson's power-play goal 8:35 into the frame. Less than a minute into a man advantage drawn by Larkin (holding), DeBrincat sent the puck to Raymond, who moved it from the far left faceoff circle to Arvidsson on the right side of the net for a one-timer past Edmonton goaltender Tristan Jarry. Raymond's assist was his 10th point of the season and sixth during the four-game Western swing.
The goal came shortly after a frightening moment for former Michigan standout Zach Hyman, who was cleanly checked into the boards by Detroit defenseman Anders Englund. Hyman's head appeared to bounce off the glass, and after briefly remaining upright, he slumped to the ice and was helped to the Oilers locker room.
Monday's game marked the first meeting between the Wings and first-year Oilers coach Mike Babcock since his five-season tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs ended in 2019. Babcock coached Detroit for 10 seasons (2005-15), amassing a 458-223-105 record before leaving for Toronto, where he went 11-3-3 against the Wings.
Detroit returns to Little Caesars Arena for a two-game homestand starting Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks (7:30 p.m., ESPN+/Hulu). The Blackhawks have been the NHL's cautionary tale for tanking—since landing the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 and selecting generational talent Connor Bedard, Chicago has finished last in the Central Division in three straight seasons and, at 3-8-0, appears on pace to do so again. Former Wings coach Jeff Blashill is in his second season behind the Chicago bench, while former No. 1 overall pick and ex-Wing Patrick Kane is in his second stint with the Blackhawks, with a goal and six assists for 1,407 career points, 24th in NHL history.
Originally reported by yahoo.