The Detroit Red Wings carry an eight-game losing streak into their home game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, but the latest outing provided encouragement to the downtrodden club.Detroit staged a three-goal, third-period rally to take the lead against the defending champion St. Louis Blues, only to fall in overtime, 5-4. The Red Wings collected their first point during the skid after seven regulation defeats.Red Wings center Dylan Larkin recorded his first points in six games with a goal and an assist. Linemate Tyler Bertuzzi also posted a goal and an assist, with the goal coming after Larkin won a faceoff in the Blues' zone."We were close (Sunday) but unfortunately against the defending Stanley Cup champions, close isn't good enough," Larkin told NHL.com. "We believe in each other and that's the way we have to play to be successful. If we play like that, most nights we're going to get wins." Larkin took the blame for the slump after his team was shut out by Buffalo the previous game, saying he needed to be productive on a regular basis. Coach Jeff Blashill saw that determination from his first-line center on Sunday."He was absolutely the best player on the ice by a country mile, I thought," Blashill said. "So, he certainly backed it up, and he's going to have to be again on Tuesday." Forward Valtteri Filppula, who signed a two-year contract as a free agent during the offseason, scored his first goal since rejoining the Red Wings. The 35-year-old Filppula began his career in Detroit, playing at the team's former home, Joe Louis Arena, from 2005-13."It's nice to get a goal, but obviously now losing so many in a row, that's kind of the main thought and trying to get out of that," he said. "Hopefully, we start winning some games. The third (period) was good." The Red Wings, who play three of their next five games on the road, haven't won at Little Caesars Arena since they edged Dallas 4-3 in their home opener. They haven't tasted victory since a 4-2 triumph in Montreal on Oct. 10.Edmonton recorded a 2-1 home victory over Detroit on Oct. 18. It was the first meeting between the clubs since longtime Red Wings GM Ken Holland took the same position with the Oilers in May.The Oilers begin a three-game road trip after losing 6-2 to Florida on Sunday. The Panthers scored three goals early in the second period and the deficit proved insurmountable."The first seven minutes of the first period we got our legs under us, and then the start of the second wasn't good enough," Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl said to NHL.com. "We have to fix it." Edmonton didn't score until the third period while taking just its third regulation loss this season."They played the way we would've liked to play this game," defenseman Oscar Klefbom told NHL.com. "They were stronger, they won more pucks, and they got pucks to the net and outbattled us. We have to learn from this and just focus on the next game here because we're still off to a good start and want to have that positive energy going in the group." --Field Level Media
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