The Detroit Red Wings have firmly placed the bad memories of their disappointing 5-1 setback against the Montreal Canadiens in their Home Opener in the rear view mirror, having now won five consecutive games since then.
The Red Wings bested the visiting Edmonton Oilers by a 4-2 final score on Sunday afternoon, and once again, it was a Red Wings rookie stepping up his performance and helping his club earn a valuable two points in the standings.
Forward Emmitt Finnie, one of three rookies who made the final cut for the Red Wings out of Training Camp and the pre-season, scored his first two career NHL goals as part of the win.
The Red Wings are now 5-1 through the first six games of their centennial campaign and have not only overtaken the Canadiens for first place in the Atlantic Division, but are also tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Finnie cleaned up a rebound of a shot by teammate Jacob Bernard-Docker and beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner for the milestone tally:
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He also helped seal the victory by depositing the puck into the vacated Oilers net with Skinner on the bench for an extra attacker as Edmonton was pressing for what would have been the tying marker.
He’s the second rookie to light the lamp in as many games for the Red Wings, as Axel Sandin-Pellikka had scored his first career NHL goal in the previous game, a 2-1 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday evening.
Finnie now has two goals and three assists on the season, putting him in a three-way tie with Matthew Schaefer and Zeev Buium for the lead in rookie points.
The Red Wings also got a pair of goals from Dylan Larkin, who broke the scoreless tie by one-timing a pass from Ben Chiarot past Skinner from the slot and added another tally shortly after Finnie’s goal.
Edmonton countered with goals from Noah Philp and Leon Draisaitl.
Red Wings’ Rookie Emmitt Finnie Scores First NHL Goal vs. Oilers
Only one game after fellow rookie Axel Sandin-Pellikka buried his first goal in the NHL, Emmitt Finnie has now done the same on Sunday afternoon against the Edmonton Oilers.
Red Wings goaltender John Gibson was victorious in his second straight start, stopping 16 of 18 shots that he faced. Skinner stopped 20 shots in a losing effort.
Detroit played without Patrick Kane, who was shaken up after crashing into the boards in overtime of Friday’s game.
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