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(Sports Network) - The Oilers picked up two wins over the Red Wings this year when facing the club during its tough opening to the season. They won't be as lucky tonight when they try to win three straight over the Red Wings for the first time in 23 years.

Detroit goes for a fourth straight victory and a better hold of the eighth spot in the Western Conference this evening when it hosts Edmonton at Rexall Place.

The Red Wings swept their four-game season series with the Oilers last year, but have dropped both tests to them so far in 2009-10. Detroit skated to a 6-5 shootout setback at Edmonton on Oct. 29 before a 4-1 loss at home on Dec. 3, and will try to avoid dropping three straight to the Oilers for the first time since a 13-game series losing streak from March 19-1983-March 11, 1987.

Both defeats to Edmonton this year came during a 14-11-5 start to the season as Detroit was dealing with some free agent losses as well as a handful of injuries to some of its key players.

The club has been healthy as of late though and is riding its first three-game winning streak since a season-high four-game burst from Dec. 11-17. Detroit's 2-1 win over Calgary on Monday pushed its lead over the Flames to three points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but that edge is back to one point after the Flames picked up a victory on Wednesday.

Calgary is also in action tonight and has played one more game than Detroit.

Tomas Holmstrom had the game-winning goal late in the third period and Pavel Datsyuk also scored as the Red Wings won three straight on the road for the first time this season. Jimmy Howard made 22 saves.

"It was up there for one of our best road games," Howard said. "We played the full 60 minutes. The only thing they got tonight was off a turnover. As long as we limit those on the road, we'll be alright."

The Red Wings also killed off Brian Rafalski's high-sticking double minor early in the third with the score tied in winning the opener of their three- game Western Canada trip.

Like Detroit, Edmonton has battled its share of injuries, but the Oilers have been unable to recover and get healthy. They have lost 426 man games to injury this year and are last in the NHL with a mere 49 points.

"I've never seen anything like it, a situation where there's as many guys hurt at one time as there is," said one of those injured players, Patrick O'Sullivan, on Edmonton's Web site. "It's frustrating. It's one more thing to add to a tough year, a pretty disappointing year."

O'Sullivan, who has missed the last four games with a left hand/finger ailment, had the game-winning shootout goal versus Detroit in October that snapped a two-game series home losing streak and also scored twice in the win at Detroit in December.

The Oilers have still lost six of their last 10 overall to the Red Wings.

Edmonton returns home after an 0-3-1 road trip that stretched the club's overall road slide to six games. The Oilers capped the swing in St. Paul, where they dropped a 4-2 decision for their 13th straight defeat at Minnesota as well as their 17th setback in their last 18 road games this season.

Things have been a little better at home for Edmonton, which has lost five straight overall. The Oilers have won four of their last six at Rexall Place, where they are 13-18-4 this season compared to 8-24-3 as the guest.

Marc Pouliot and Ryan Potulny each scored for the Oilers versus the Wild, and Jeff Deslauriers turned aside 24-of-28 shots for Edmonton.

"It's really disappointing because we did a lot of good things tonight," Oilers head coach Pat Quinn said.