As three of the Red Wings' fastest skaters, Kris Draper, Darren Helm and Patrick Eaves hope to use their speed to force turnovers and disrupt the opposition's attack by forechecking hard.

Coach Mike Babcock formed the speedy line after second-line center Valtteri Filppula suffered a broken wrist Thursday in Edmonton. The trio accounted for two goals to help the Wings tie the game in the third period before losing in a shootout and will be counted on to be hard to play against Tuesday when the Wings play host to Boston.

"Their game plan is very simple," Babcock said. "They're going to want to win the first faceoff and get on the forecheck."

Eaves, caught in a numbers game, played in only five of the first 11 games. Now he will get more opportunities to play and unleash his wicked wrist shot. Eaves scored 20 goals as a rookie with Ottawa in 2005-06 but hasn't come close to matching that total.

The Wings also are counting on Helm, who responded to being scratched in the previous game with his best effort of the season against the Oilers. Helm's first career regular-season goal got his team's offense kick-started.

Missing the entire preseason and the first four regular-season games with an injury (sprained AC joint) set Helm back.

RED WINGS 3, FLAMES 1: The Wings played like a desperate team right from the start, and it led to their best defensive effort of the season. They made smarter plays with the puck to avoid turnovers and limit the Flames' scoring chances. Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom scored goals 59 seconds apart late in the second period to give Detroit a 2-1 lead, which the Wings protected well. The Wings finished their longest road trip of the season with a 2-1-2 record.

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