Aaaaaaaaand the playoffs are looking further and further away. Final Score: 7-2 Blues.

It’s do-or-die time here in Oilersnation and the Oilers needed a big performance tonight. Many fans think the playoffs are a lost cause at this point, especially after the loss to the Knights on the weekend. Me personally? I’m torn. I know the chances are extremely slim, but the inner fan in me doesn’t want the hope to die, and I’m still under the impression that anything can happen.

For a team that’s playing for its life, I really expected more out of the Oilers tonight. Just nine minutes into the game, we were getting outshot 6-0, and it was very depressing. The Oilers weren’t playing bad, but the Blues were just doing what the Blues do best and dominating the game. We eventually gave up a breakaway to Vladimir Tarasenko which was stopped by Mikko Koskinen. It was a nice save and I give him credit for it, but just a couple shifts later Mikko lets in a sharp angle shot above his glove. This made it official, the ENTIRE league knows about Mikko’s weak glove hand. The period ended with the shots being 13-4 for the Blues and it was not a good look.

The second period was filled with mixed emotions. It began as an even bigger disaster than the first. The Blues came out scoring in the very first shift, and it didn’t seem to stop until about halfway through the period. Three goals later, the Oilers are down by four and it’s looking horrifying. It was absolutely embarrassing and something we are used to at the same time. BUT THEN! The turning point occurred when Zack Kassian dropped the gloves with former Oiler, Patrick Maroon. They set themselves up at center ice and threw down hard. The Oilers seemed to get a burst of life after that fight, and both Ryan Nugent-Hopkins AND Zack Kassian scored in the final minutes of the period, to lead us into the intermission at a 4-2 game. The shots you ask? 28-13 for the Blues.

The third period was nothing special. The Oilers came out a little harder than usual but couldn’t put anything on the scoreboard. Leon Draisaitl, Colby Cave, and Connor McDavid had some scoring chances but that was pretty much all that happened offensively for the Oilers. The Blues kept peppering Anthony Stolarz and ended up potting three more goals, making the final score 7-2. The third-period goals came from Maroon, Schwartz, and Perron who finished off his hat trick. We saw a bit more frustration boil over after the whistles from the Oilers, and also saw a five-minute major penalty for cross-checking for Milan Lucic which will likely have some repercussions after this game.

Other than that, the game went exactly as you can imagine from looking at the box score. St. Louis is a very hot team right now but this was still a pathetic effort from a team trying to make the playoffs. The final shots of the game were 44-17 for the Blues. Are they turning their heads to the draft lottery now?

The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

• I legit couldn’t think of any positive points halfway through the game so I asked Twitter for help and this is what everyone came up with:

  • Stolarz has only let in one goal?

  • The season’s almost done and the nightmare almost over?

  • Lil Rig is probably happy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  • The game is almost half over 😉

  • Ryan O’Reilly has found his love for the game again?

  • Stolarz gets another game to count towards his 10 games.

  • Tuesday night drinks?

  • Spring arrives tomorrow

    (I only took the first handful, but thank you to everyone who helped)
• We’ve got a legit positive! Zack Kassian and Patrick Maroon dropped the gloves in the second period and it was an EXCELLENT tilt. Nice to see Kassian trying to mix things up while we’re getting pumbled, and it was nice to see former Oiler, Patrick Maroon mix things up too! Apparently, Zack Kassian and Connor McDavid went over to Maroon’s house for dinner last night which makes this fight even better. To add a cherry on top, Maroon and Kass were both smiling as they dropped the gloves together. After Kassian returned to the bench, Hitchcock gave him a big, warm, hug and it made my heart smile.

Zack Kassian vs Patrick Maroon from the Edmonton Oilers at St Louis Blues game on Mar 19, 2019 https://t.co/g9nDI50bh5

— hockeyfights (@hockeyfights) March 20, 2019

• NUUUUGE! With 90 seconds left in the second period, the Oilers started to put on a little bit of pressure and Nuge finished a good shift by stuffing the puck home by the post. The ref didn’t see it go in initially, so at the next whistle, they checked upstairs. It was determined a good goal and the Oilers cut the lead down to three.
• Just 56 seconds later, Zack Kassian made a couple of nice moves by the net and wrapped the puck around the post to score! Again, the ref didn’t see it cross the line (hilarious by the way), and they had to go upstairs. What an impressive show of life in the final minutes of the period to cut the lead in half and head into the third period down by two.
• I have to give Sam Gagner some credit for the comeback-attempt the Oilers made in the second period. Above, I said that the turning point was when Kassian dropped the gloves with Maroon. Shortly before that, when all was looking gloom, Sam Gagner showed a little bit of grit with a Blues player after the whistle as his frustration boiled over. Kudos for Kassian for dropping the gloves, but it was the emotion of Gagner that eventually lead to the fight which got the players going.
• Patrick Maroon will always be my favorite and even though we lost terribly tonight, it’s always a pleasure watching Maroon play and smile.

THE FACE PALMERS

• Twelve minutes into the game, Jaden Schwartz shelved one bar down past Mikko Koskinen to put the Blues up by one. Now I don’t want to be a downer on Mikko Koskinen here, and I am in full belief that there are bigger problems that this team has than goaltending, but this was not a good goal for Mikko to let in. Schwartz takes this shot just under the faceoff dot and it goes far side above Koskinen’s glove. After being ridiculed for his glove hand this past weekend, this was not a good look for him.
• Are the Oilers on board with #LoseForHughes? This is another must-win for them after losing in Vegas and they come out in St.Louis with 4 shots in the first period. Are you serious?
• In the first shift of the second period, Milan Lucic gave up the puck on the offensive rush and the Blues quickly went to work setting up the Blues captain on a mini-breakaway. Pietrangelo made no mistake and outwaited Mikko Koskinen to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. *sighhhhh*
• With 14:18 left in the second period, Schwartz blasts a one-timer past Mikko Koskinen to give the Blues a 3-0 lead. The Oilers defense is comical at this point and it’s getting worse and worse. The shot somehow snuck through Koskinen’s arm, and he got the well-needed hook from Hitchcock. Anthony Stolarz came in for the fourth time this season for Koskinen.
• As you can imagine, the Oilers showed no fight back after the three-goal deficit and gave up the fourth goal just a couple minutes later. The Blues continued to dominate and Perron eventually stuffed the puck passed Stolarz during a scramble at the net.
• In case you’ve been keeping up with the suspension of the @oilersnation Twitter account, our new Twitter account, @oilersnation2 ALSO got suspended right before this game. Can things get any worse tonight? Until we get through the appeal process with Twitter, follow us on our new NEW account, @oilersnationalt. Why does Twitter hate us? #FreeOilersnation
• In the second period, Connor McDavid fired the puck on goal from the slot. The puck bounced up and over the Blues goalie until Colton Parayko batted the puck out of the air off the goal line to save the goal. When we’re down 4-0 the least we could get is some puck luck, but nothing!
• Even though the Oilers came out a little stronger than usual, David Perron re-established the Blues three-goal lead by deflecting a point shot past Stolarz about seven minutes into the third period. The goal was on the powerplay after Alex Chiasson took a hooking penalty. The penalty kill strikes again!
• If there’s any Blue on the ice that I wouldn’t be REALLY MAD about scoring it is Patrick Maroon. Sure enough, he scored the Blue’s sixth goal of the game with six and a half minutes left. He picked up the puck behind the net and stuffed it in passed Stolarz and the post. The Blues were kicking us while we were down, but I’ll never get tired of seeing Maroon smile after a goal. I think this goal made it so EVERY former Oiler on the Blues scored on us tonight. Great!
• Nearing the end of the game, Milan Lucic laid a hit on Oskar Sundqvist directly from behind. Sundqvist went into the boards very dangerously and went straight to the dressing room with the trainer. This was a dumb hit that I wish Lucic wouldn’t have made, and he was assessed a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking. Will he get a hearing for this? I vote yes depending on Sundqvist’s injury.
• The Oilers pretty much lost all momentum after the Lucic penalty, and the Blues continued their dominance for the remainder of the game. Schwartz finished off his hat trick with 1:12 left in the period, and the game wrapped up with a 7-2 score.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

“Wow the @Oilersnation account got suspended.” pic.twitter.com/v5aqKXGtM0

— Ryan (@IAmByks) March 20, 2019

Can’t let one of the other teams defensemen get in behind your entire team.

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) March 20, 2019

The #Oilers now have more shots on goal than #Oilersnation does alternate accounts.

— FatDad69 (@fat_dad69) March 20, 2019

If Drew is trying to win me over by slagging Toronto and the Leaf-centric media…well then…I don’t know how I feel about that. I’ll get back to you.

— The Towel Boy (@TheTowelBoy) March 20, 2019

@Oilersnationalt what’s the over/under on how many ON Twitters can be created before the OG is returned yonder? I’m saying we get to 41. #FreeOilersnation

— Pro Wrestling YEG (@ProWrestlingYEG) March 20, 2019

The Oilers traded Perron for the pick that became Mathew Barzal. I’ll pretend that’s where the story ends and be happy for a minute.

— Matt Henderson (@Archaeologuy) March 20, 2019

Talk to me, Twitter. Tweet at @OilersNation2 and on Twitter for your chance to land in the #GoodContent zone

Source: NHL, Official Game Page, 3/19/2019 – 8:45 pm MT