THE BRIGHT SIDE
- @Tyson Barrie opened the scoring for the Oilers (1-0) on the powerplay with a blast from the point after McDavid set him up for a one-timer from the high slot. Before the goal, I was actually thinking that Barrie was struggling a bit with his shot choices as many of them were hitting guys in the shinpads in a way that would have made Andrej Sekera smile.
- @Jesse Puljujarvi extended the Oilers’ lead (2-0) after a dominant shift by the first line that left the Jets scrambling and disoriented. From Draisaitl to McDavid to Puljujarvi and in the net, the cycle that led up to the goal was about as perfectly executed as you can imagine.
- @Alex Chiasson added a little bit of salt to the wound with another powerplay goal (3-0) after he parked himself in front of the net and got his stick on another blast from Barrie at the point.
- @Mike Smith was back to work and looking for his 15th win of the season, and I was hopeful that he’d be rested and ready for a showdown with the former Vezina winner. From start to finish, Smith was fantastic for his team and I don’t think there’s really much else you can say about a guy that just wrapped up his third shutout of the season. Smith was perfect on the night and finished with 26 saves.
- With two assists on the night, @Connor McDavid collected his 22nd multi-point game of the season. Needless to say, he’s pretty good at this whole hockey thing.
- @Leon Draisaitl finished his night with another tidy two-
goalpoint performance. As always, the dude was an absolute unit on the ice and nearly impossible for the Jets to handle. - I was happy to see that @Kailer Yamamoto got an assist because he was absolutely buzzing from the opening puck drop to the final buzzer. I can’t get enough of this kid.
- I can’t be the only one that thinks @Ethan Bear is starting to look more like the guy that really anchored the top-four last season, can I? All night long, Bear made quality decisions with the puck and those choices helped his team move the puck in the right direction more often than not. Bear finished with 17:34 in TOI to go along with one shot on goal, two hits, two blogs, and a takeaway.
- The Oilers powerplay came through with two goals on six chances and it was nice to see them get something done after being shut out in their last game against the Flames.
- Not to be outdone, the penalty kill was perfect on all three of Winnipeg’s chances (abbreviated or not) with the man advantage.
- When you have the two best players on the planet, the only option is to make a t-shirt that reflects their brilliance. Shine bright, boys. Pick up the Dynamic Duo tee here.
THE FACE PALMERS
- If I’m going to nitpick, I wish the Oilers would have run away with the shots total as it looked early on in the game.
- I don’t have to tell anyone reading this about how annoying @Connor Hellebuyck was early on in this hockey game but I was happy to see him even things out in the end.
- Seven days have passed since your ol’ pal Baggedmilk let you know that the Oilers won only 44% of the faceoffs. That’s the consistency you can bet on, my friends.
- Despite leading on the shot clock early, the Oilers were outshot by the Jets by a 26-25 margin. We once again apologize to the Corsi Gords.
SCORING SUMMARY
#GOODCONTENT
Much excitement, much disappointment
— Isaac Lamoureux (@IsaacLamoureux) April 17, 2021
The boys are extra oily… Little rusty on the finish though
— Dylan (@dboychuk89) April 17, 2021
Patrick Marleau has been in the league since well before any salary cap and in those days players were paid in bumblebees. "A second round pick and 5 bumblebees", you'd say.
— Ryan (@IAmByks) April 18, 2021
What they lack in airports they have in face spiders.
— K (@Germoid) April 18, 2021
Just a friendly reminder that Jesse Puljujarvi is 22 years old. He’s still years away from his prime, folks
— Adam (@OilersAdam) April 18, 2021
I ❤️ the McTuft 😍🤩😍
— Rusty Shackleford (@AdmiralRusty) April 18, 2021
connor hellebuyck connor hellebuyck
vs other nhl teams vs the edmonton oilers pic.twitter.com/eIyMWtvhyY
— zach laing (@zjlaing) April 18, 2021
WRAP UP PRESENTED BY SHERWOOD FORD THE GIANT
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