LA BAMBAAAAA. Final score: 4-1.

Wow, what a game. No shortage of great clips or quotes tonight in a huge, huge win against the two times. <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2022/03/12/game-recap-59-0-edmonton-oilers-vs-tampa-bay-lightning/">BaggedMilk has the Wrap Up here</a>.
<h1>The Clips</h1>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
connor mcdavid puts on the jets burning victor hedman to give the oilers a 1-0 lead. <a href="https://t.co/xmUTphK1A4">pic.twitter.com/xmUTphK1A4</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502850286800408580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
this is what the oilers need from zack kassian every night <a href="https://t.co/8rJSfIaa33">pic.twitter.com/8rJSfIaa33</a>
&mdash; zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502852883183648769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
zing! connor mcdavid picks the top corner on the powerplay and it&#8217;s a 2-0 game. <a href="https://t.co/CeGPWlKJHX">pic.twitter.com/CeGPWlKJHX</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502871583064420357?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
zach bogosian scores, then brad malone bumps mikhail sergachev and all hell breaks loose. <a href="https://t.co/BSrK9HgPet">pic.twitter.com/BSrK9HgPet</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502882008782934016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
another look at the oilers-lightning melee. cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/hockeyfights?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hockeyfights</a> <a href="https://t.co/H68o51GmtL">pic.twitter.com/H68o51GmtL</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502882327315173381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
leon draisaitl with the steal, the partial breakaway, and the dagger. 3-1 oilers. <a href="https://t.co/Gd1SOs2QNV">pic.twitter.com/Gd1SOs2QNV</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502884021302267904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
leon draisaitl with the steal, the partial breakaway, and the dagger. 3-1 oilers. <a href="https://t.co/Gd1SOs2QNV">pic.twitter.com/Gd1SOs2QNV</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502884021302267904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
a big stop from mikko koskinen springs evander kane and kailer yamamoto, the latter of whom scores an empty net goal for his 13th of the year — a new career high. 4-1 oilers. <a href="https://t.co/RBJOH8Mtvy">pic.twitter.com/RBJOH8Mtvy</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502885418265550853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<h1>The Quotes</h1>
<h2>Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl</h2>
McDavid on the game: &#8220;I liked a lot of things about our game. Our powerplay could&#8217;ve been better, I thought, but we found a way to get a big goal there. Our pk stepped up. That 5-on-3 was serious. Leo and Nursey blocking those, and Dunc doing a good job and Mikks doing his thing. I thought it was a well-rounded win.&#8221;
Draisaitl on what they did well: &#8220;Like connor said, I think it was an all-around effort. Pk was real good. our powerplay could&#8217;ve been sharper, but we did score a big goal to make it 2-0 at the end of the second there. You got to find the right times to score sometimes too. We did that and 5&#215;5, I thought we were really solid.&#8221;
Draisaitl on if the 5-on-3 was exhausting: &#8220;You&#8217;d be surprised, You don&#8217;t move that much. You try and keep it tight, obviously. Really skilled players, they&#8217;re going to try and find triangles and go through you. The tighter you stay, the better the chances are and obviously, you don&#8217;t move too too much. I thought we did a good job.&#8221;
Draisaitl on his breakaway goal: &#8220;I just kind of read the play and decided last second that was what I was going to go with. fortunately, it went it.&#8221;
Draisaitl on playing tough teams well and how close the oilers feel to being an elite team in the league: &#8220;Those are the best teams in the league, right? We&#8217;ve had a lot of them against us in the last few weeks and we&#8217;ve played well every game. We&#8217;re hurting a little bit right now. It&#8217;s going to help us when those top guys are coming back. All-in-all, I think we&#8217;re finding our gear here a bit and taking steps in the right direction.&#8221;
McDavid on the Oilers going 18-0 when scoring first, how it changes the dynamic of their game: &#8220;I&#8217;m not sure what it is. I think we find a comfort level in our game and obviously, the start is important. We haven&#8217;t found a way to get the first goal too many times. When we do, we have to bear down and find a way to get a win. I thought we did a good job of that tonight.&#8221;
<h2>Jay Woodcroft</h2>
On the game tonight vs. two weeks ago at Tampa: &#8220;I liked the result tonight. I thought it was a total team win, got contributions up and down the lineup. I think if you look at the two games as a whole, we gave up 55 shots against&#8230; vs the Stanley Cup Champions. A lot of good things defensively in both games. Like I said, really enjoyed the result tonight.&#8221;
On playing tough teams well and how close the Oilers feel to being an elite team in the league: &#8220;I think we&#8217;ve spent a lot of time over the last three and a half weeks or so on rounding out our 5&#215;5 game, specifically defensively 5&#215;5. We haven&#8217;t given up a lot despite the teams that you mentioned. I think that&#8217;s a positive sign for our team because I think as your work your way down the stretch run and into playoff rounds, it comes down to your 5&#215;5 game. It&#8217;s positive we&#8217;re dialling that in. Is there other parts of our game that can improve? yes, there are. I really liked our penalty kill tonight, and I really liked the fact we found a way to score a big goal on the powerplay as well.&#8221;
On being able to rely on the 5&#215;5 game now: &#8220;We have a way that we want to play the game and it&#8217;s the right way of playing hockey, which is limiting the chances you&#8217;re giving up and trying to create more than the other team. I think we had 49 shots on net tonight, that&#8217;s a positive sign offensively. We hit numerous posts and crossbars, but we head into that third period against the two-time Stanley Cup Champions and I thought we played a really mature third period. It didn&#8217;t go exactly according to script. There were some high-drama moments, but we found a way to get the win.&#8221;
On McDavid&#8217;s performance: &#8220;I think he&#8217;s driven to win. Driven to lead this team forward to continually push the needle, or move the needle to get this team where it needs to get to. I thought he led by example tonight. He was extremely dangerous with the puck on his stick. I enjoyed his defensive details over the last while. He scored the first two goals on difference-making plays — they were fantastic goals. I&#8217;d also point out I thought Leon Draisaitl had a really good game as well. Leon helped us kill off that 5-on-3 penalty kill, then the effort on the third goal, just phenomenal. Those two leaders led the way upfront, then you look at some of the warriors we have on the backend in terms of Darnell Nurse, Duncan Keith, Ceci, these types of guys that really laid it on the line. With leadership like that, everybody else followed.&#8221;
On Ryan McLeod: &#8220;I think Ryan, his confidence level is growing every day. He has figured out he belongs in this league, that he can not just play in this league, but he can be a good player in this league. I think that confidence comes through his preparation, his work in practice and some of the reps he&#8217;s getting in the top-six over the last three weeks. I&#8217;ve used him on the penalty kill, I&#8217;ve used him on the powerplay. I feel very good when Ryan McLeod is on the ice.&#8221;
On what the last two games showed him: &#8220;There you go again talking about the big picture. For us, as you know, it&#8217;s been our mantra that we&#8217;re taking care of the day&#8217;s business. I thought we played a good game against Washington and again, there was a little adversity towards the end of the game there but we found a way to win it. I thought we had a really good practice yesterday that set us up for success today. I think our team is playing towards an identity that will help us be successful long-term. Does it mean we&#8217;re putting up wins every night or putting points in the bank every single night? I don&#8217;t know. I can&#8217;t guarantee that but I know that if we play the way we&#8217;ve played tonight most nights, we&#8217;re going to set ourselves up for success.&#8221;
On Josh Archibald&#8217;s first game back: &#8220;He was involved in the melee, he played on the penalty kill, he also had a prime scoring chance where he rang it off the post. I liked his speed, I thought he had good energy. He&#8217;s a great teammate on the bench cheering his teammates on. You know that josh Archibald was in the game tonight.&#8221;
On penalties affecting getting guys like Kassian on the ice: &#8220;I tried to sneak him on a couple shifts with Connor, just to get his legs back up and running. I thought when he was moved up like that, he gave us some good minutes as well. Those are things beyond anyone&#8217;s control when you&#8217;re in a special teams-filled game. You&#8217;re trying to make sure you&#8217;re spreading the minutes out and I thought we did a good job of that tonight.&#8221;
On Mikko Koskinen: &#8220;I think he&#8217;s certainly playing well even before I arrived in Edmonton. He should feel very confident in his personal game. I know the team feels very confident in his game. He gave us a good chance to win tonight.&#8221;
On if it was scary seeing Tampa score then them getting a 5-on-3: &#8220;It&#8217;s not a good story unless there&#8217;s some drama to it, right? That play, it was a goal against and into a penalty kill and into a 5-on-3, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s scary. I think we have the people to get the job done, and they got the job done tonight. I&#8217;m proud of them.&#8221;
<hr />
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at<a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"> @zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
<hr />

LA BAMBAAAAA. Final score: 4-1.



Wow, what a game. No shortage of great clips or quotes tonight in a huge, huge win against the two times. <a href="https://publish.oilersnation.com/2022/03/12/game-recap-59-0-edmonton-oilers-vs-tampa-bay-lightning/">BaggedMilk has the Wrap Up here</a>.
<h1>The Clips</h1>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
connor mcdavid puts on the jets burning victor hedman to give the oilers a 1-0 lead. <a href="https://t.co/xmUTphK1A4">pic.twitter.com/xmUTphK1A4</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502850286800408580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502852883183648769
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
zing! connor mcdavid picks the top corner on the powerplay and it's a 2-0 game. <a href="https://t.co/CeGPWlKJHX">pic.twitter.com/CeGPWlKJHX</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502871583064420357?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
zach bogosian scores, then brad malone bumps mikhail sergachev and all hell breaks loose. <a href="https://t.co/BSrK9HgPet">pic.twitter.com/BSrK9HgPet</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502882008782934016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
another look at the oilers-lightning melee. cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/hockeyfights?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hockeyfights</a> <a href="https://t.co/H68o51GmtL">pic.twitter.com/H68o51GmtL</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502882327315173381?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
leon draisaitl with the steal, the partial breakaway, and the dagger. 3-1 oilers. <a href="https://t.co/Gd1SOs2QNV">pic.twitter.com/Gd1SOs2QNV</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502884021302267904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
leon draisaitl with the steal, the partial breakaway, and the dagger. 3-1 oilers. <a href="https://t.co/Gd1SOs2QNV">pic.twitter.com/Gd1SOs2QNV</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502884021302267904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
a big stop from mikko koskinen springs evander kane and kailer yamamoto, the latter of whom scores an empty net goal for his 13th of the year — a new career high. 4-1 oilers. <a href="https://t.co/RBJOH8Mtvy">pic.twitter.com/RBJOH8Mtvy</a>
— zach laing (@zjlaing) <a href="https://twitter.com/zjlaing/status/1502885418265550853?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<h1>The Quotes</h1>
<h2>Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl</h2>
McDavid on the game: "I liked a lot of things about our game. Our powerplay could've been better, I thought, but we found a way to get a big goal there. Our pk stepped up. That 5-on-3 was serious. Leo and Nursey blocking those, and Dunc doing a good job and Mikks doing his thing. I thought it was a well-rounded win."

Draisaitl on what they did well: "Like connor said, I think it was an all-around effort. Pk was real good. our powerplay could've been sharper, but we did score a big goal to make it 2-0 at the end of the second there. You got to find the right times to score sometimes too. We did that and 5x5, I thought we were really solid."

Draisaitl on if the 5-on-3 was exhausting: "You'd be surprised, You don't move that much. You try and keep it tight, obviously. Really skilled players, they're going to try and find triangles and go through you. The tighter you stay, the better the chances are and obviously, you don't move too too much. I thought we did a good job."

Draisaitl on his breakaway goal: "I just kind of read the play and decided last second that was what I was going to go with. fortunately, it went it."

Draisaitl on playing tough teams well and how close the oilers feel to being an elite team in the league: "Those are the best teams in the league, right? We've had a lot of them against us in the last few weeks and we've played well every game. We're hurting a little bit right now. It's going to help us when those top guys are coming back. All-in-all, I think we're finding our gear here a bit and taking steps in the right direction."

McDavid on the Oilers going 18-0 when scoring first, how it changes the dynamic of their game: "I'm not sure what it is. I think we find a comfort level in our game and obviously, the start is important. We haven't found a way to get the first goal too many times. When we do, we have to bear down and find a way to get a win. I thought we did a good job of that tonight."
<h2>Jay Woodcroft</h2>
On the game tonight vs. two weeks ago at Tampa: "I liked the result tonight. I thought it was a total team win, got contributions up and down the lineup. I think if you look at the two games as a whole, we gave up 55 shots against... vs the Stanley Cup Champions. A lot of good things defensively in both games. Like I said, really enjoyed the result tonight."

On playing tough teams well and how close the Oilers feel to being an elite team in the league: "I think we've spent a lot of time over the last three and a half weeks or so on rounding out our 5x5 game, specifically defensively 5x5. We haven't given up a lot despite the teams that you mentioned. I think that's a positive sign for our team because I think as your work your way down the stretch run and into playoff rounds, it comes down to your 5x5 game. It's positive we're dialling that in. Is there other parts of our game that can improve? yes, there are. I really liked our penalty kill tonight, and I really liked the fact we found a way to score a big goal on the powerplay as well."

On being able to rely on the 5x5 game now: "We have a way that we want to play the game and it's the right way of playing hockey, which is limiting the chances you're giving up and trying to create more than the other team. I think we had 49 shots on net tonight, that's a positive sign offensively. We hit numerous posts and crossbars, but we head into that third period against the two-time Stanley Cup Champions and I thought we played a really mature third period. It didn't go exactly according to script. There were some high-drama moments, but we found a way to get the win."

On McDavid's performance: "I think he's driven to win. Driven to lead this team forward to continually push the needle, or move the needle to get this team where it needs to get to. I thought he led by example tonight. He was extremely dangerous with the puck on his stick. I enjoyed his defensive details over the last while. He scored the first two goals on difference-making plays — they were fantastic goals. I'd also point out I thought Leon Draisaitl had a really good game as well. Leon helped us kill off that 5-on-3 penalty kill, then the effort on the third goal, just phenomenal. Those two leaders led the way upfront, then you look at some of the warriors we have on the backend in terms of Darnell Nurse, Duncan Keith, Ceci, these types of guys that really laid it on the line. With leadership like that, everybody else followed."

On Ryan McLeod: "I think Ryan, his confidence level is growing every day. He has figured out he belongs in this league, that he can not just play in this league, but he can be a good player in this league. I think that confidence comes through his preparation, his work in practice and some of the reps he's getting in the top-six over the last three weeks. I've used him on the penalty kill, I've used him on the powerplay. I feel very good when Ryan McLeod is on the ice."

On what the last two games showed him: "There you go again talking about the big picture. For us, as you know, it's been our mantra that we're taking care of the day's business. I thought we played a good game against Washington and again, there was a little adversity towards the end of the game there but we found a way to win it. I thought we had a really good practice yesterday that set us up for success today. I think our team is playing towards an identity that will help us be successful long-term. Does it mean we're putting up wins every night or putting points in the bank every single night? I don't know. I can't guarantee that but I know that if we play the way we've played tonight most nights, we're going to set ourselves up for success."

On Josh Archibald's first game back: "He was involved in the melee, he played on the penalty kill, he also had a prime scoring chance where he rang it off the post. I liked his speed, I thought he had good energy. He's a great teammate on the bench cheering his teammates on. You know that josh Archibald was in the game tonight."

On penalties affecting getting guys like Kassian on the ice: "I tried to sneak him on a couple shifts with Connor, just to get his legs back up and running. I thought when he was moved up like that, he gave us some good minutes as well. Those are things beyond anyone's control when you're in a special teams-filled game. You're trying to make sure you're spreading the minutes out and I thought we did a good job of that tonight."

On Mikko Koskinen: "I think he's certainly playing well even before I arrived in Edmonton. He should feel very confident in his personal game. I know the team feels very confident in his game. He gave us a good chance to win tonight."

On if it was scary seeing Tampa score then them getting a 5-on-3: "It's not a good story unless there's some drama to it, right? That play, it was a goal against and into a penalty kill and into a 5-on-3, I don't think it's scary. I think we have the people to get the job done, and they got the job done tonight. I'm proud of them."

<hr />

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at<a href="http://www.twitter.com/zjlaing"> @zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.

<hr />

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