Detroit Red Wings vs. Edmonton Oilers: Time, TV channel with Connor McDavid in town
Detroit Red Wings (20-16-4) vs. Edmonton Oilers (21-15-1)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1; Red Wings radio affiliates).
Eyes on the ice: Here's how to watch the Red Wings this season without Bally Sports Detroit.
GREAT TURNAROUND: How Detroit Red Wings went from 'sorry for ourselves' to great feeling
Game notes: It's crazy how quickly the vibe around a team can turn with a good 'ole west coast trip.
The Red Wings were not playing great hockey before they went out west, and that may actually be an understatement. The Wings had lost three of four games and really struggled for the entire month of December, only picking up 11 points over a brutal 15-game stretch.
Whether it's just the ebbs and flows of an NHL season or some additional practice time, as the Wings have indicated, the new year has been kind to the Wings.
The west coast trip started with a revenge game against the San Jose Sharks, who earlier this season seized on an epic Wings' collapse at Little Caesars Arena in a December game that ended up being a 6-5 loss. The Wings scored three goals in the third period of their January rematch, beating the NHL's worst team, 5-3. Two nights later, the Wings survived a crazy back-and-forth game against the Los Angeles Kings and eventually won in a shootout. The final win of the trip came after the Wings got a few days off in the L.A. area and beat the Anaheim Ducks, 3-2, their first win of the season when they didn't have at least four goals.
The return to form came at a great time, as the best player in hockey will be coming to Detroit Thursday. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid and his Edmonton Oilers have been red-hot over the last few weeks. The Oilers have won eight straight games and have not lost since a Dec. 19 game against the New York Islanders.
And it hasn't just been your run-of-the-mill win streak for the Oilers, either. Over the eight wins, the Oilers have a plus-20 goal differential and have allowed just 14 goals total. They've had two separate wins by five goals, a 5-0 win over the Sharks and a 7-2 win over the Ducks a few days later.
Whenever McDavid comes to town, you know the home team has its work cut out, but now more than ever, the Wings better be prepared to bring their A-game Thursday or their three-game win streak will come to an end.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings vs. Edmonton Oilers: Time, TV for McDavid matchup
