Michal Postava Stops McDavid, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins in the Shootout as the Red Wings Win His First NHL Start in Edmonton

Michal Postava picked a memorable spot for his first NHL start. The Detroit Red Wings goaltender made 25 saves through regulation and overtime, then stopped Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the shootout as Detroit rallied to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Monday night at Rogers Place. Lucas Raymond scored the only shootout goal after setting up two in regulation, and Dylan Larkin forced the shootout by tying the game with 1:17 left in the third period with the goaltender pulled. McDavid picked up an assist to extend his season-opening point streak to 12 games. For fantasy managers, the questions are what Detroit's crease looks like with Daniil Tarasov hurt, and whether Edmonton's loss changes anything about the Oilers' stars.

Why Postava was in net

Postava was called up from the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins after Tarasov was injured following Detroit's October 20 loss in Seattle. Tarasov has sat out since and is now officially listed as day-to-day, which is what cleared the way for a Postava start under league roster rules. Postava made his NHL debut in relief of John Gibson in a 5-2 win in Vancouver last Thursday, when Gibson left with an issue described in different reports as an upper-body or eye problem. Gibson returned to start Saturday's 4-1 loss in Calgary, and head coach Todd McLellan then gave Postava the start in Edmonton.

The result was historic for the franchise: Postava became only the third Red Wings goaltender in roughly the last quarter century to win his first NHL start, joining Petr Mrazek in 2013 and Jimmy Howard in 2005.

How Detroit came back

Edmonton held a 3-2 lead into the final minutes on goals from Isaac Howard, Vasily Podkolzin and Colton Dach. Detroit answered with Viktor Arvidsson and Emmitt Finnie before Larkin's late equalizer with an extra attacker. In the shootout, Postava stopped all three Edmonton shooters, and Raymond's goal was the only one either team needed.

Detroit improved to 5-4-3 and finished its four-game road trip 2-1-1. Edmonton, which entered the night leading the Western Conference, fell to 8-2-2.

Fantasy fallout: Detroit's crease

John Gibson remains the starter when healthy, and he was back in net Saturday after leaving the Vancouver game. Nothing in the reporting around Monday's decision suggested a demotion; it came one start after Gibson's return from the Vancouver scare. Gibson stays in lineups as Detroit's primary goaltender.

Michal Postava is a short-term streaming candidate only. As long as Tarasov is out, Postava is the backup, which means the occasional start in back-to-backs or as a rest day for Gibson. A shootout win against Edmonton will earn him another look, but he is not a weekly fantasy option. In deep leagues that reward wins, he is worth monitoring on the morning confirmed-starter lists.

Daniil Tarasov is the name to watch. When he returns from his day-to-day status, Postava likely heads back to Grand Rapids, and the Gibson-Tarasov tandem resumes.

Fantasy fallout: Detroit's skaters

Raymond continues to be Detroit's most dependable fantasy forward. Two assists plus a shootout winner on the road against the West's top team is the kind of night that reinforces his place as one of the team's top scorers. Larkin is the captain and the late-game option, a reliable start in all formats.

Emmitt Finnie scoring is a note for deeper leagues. Young forwards who chip in on the road tend to earn more chances.

The Oilers: no reason to worry

Edmonton's stars did not score in regulation on Monday, but McDavid's assist kept his point streak alive at 12 games to open the season. Losing a shootout to a rookie goaltender is an annoyance, not a trend. The Oilers' depth scorers did the damage in regulation, with Howard, Podkolzin and Dach all finding the net, which is a positive sign for a team often criticized for over-relying on McDavid and Draisaitl.

For fantasy, keep starting McDavid and Draisaitl every night. Howard is worth watching in deeper leagues; a young forward scoring alongside the league's best center is the kind of opportunity that can turn into steady production.

The Verdexed angle

Shootouts are close to a coin flip in the long run, which is why game prediction models typically treat a shootout loss very differently from a regulation loss. Edmonton's underlying performance on Monday was not a red flag. The confirmed starter in goal, on the other hand, is one of the biggest inputs in NHL game predictions, and Detroit's crease situation is worth tracking each morning. The daily NHL board is at /blog/nhl-picks-2026-10-27, with the full model view on the NHL predictions page.

What to do in your league

Hold Gibson as Detroit's starter. Leave Postava on waivers in standard leagues but watch for a Tarasov update, since an extended absence would make Postava a more regular backup start. Keep Raymond and Larkin in lineups. Do not overreact to the Oilers' loss: McDavid's streak is intact, and Edmonton's depth contributing is good news for managers rostering the Oilers' secondary forwards.