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GDB 22.0 Wrap Up: For the second straight game, the Oilers come back for a miraculous 4-3 win

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baggedmilk
1 year ago
That was emotional. Final Score: 4-3 Oilers in OT
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Nothing says welcome home from a road trip quite like an early goal against by Matthew Tkachuk, amirite? Just as I was writing that the Oilers needed to build on the huge comeback win they pulled off in New York, a tough bounce off of Nurse’s skate led to an early deficit or if you prefer, the very opposite of the start they wanted. To their credit, the boys fought hard to get the equalizer as the period wore on, but you have to give Spencer Knight credit for making some massive saves to keep them from doing it. Both at even strength and on their 5-on-3 power play, Edmonton had their fair share of chances but they just could not beat the goaltender, and if I didn’t know better I’d suggest that this was almost a slight by the Hockey Gords that they wouldn’t get rewarded for their efforts. Despite putting in plenty of work and hustle, Tkachuck’s opener put the Oilers down by at least a goal at the first intermission for the 11th time in 22 tries. Not great, to say the least.
The good news is that the Oilers had a good chance to claw their way back into this hockey game provided that they could keep their legs moving in the second period. As much as Knight was sharp for Florida in the first, I felt like it would only be so long before the Oilers would find a way to get something past him. I mean, the guy isn’t a real knight after all. *rimshot* But as we know far too well, hoping for the Oilers to keep their foot on the gas and having it actually happen are two different matters entirely. Thankfully, the home side had plenty of legs throughout this hockey game. Shift after shift, the Oilers were working their way into making something happen for themselves. What I didn’t have on my bingo card was Connor McDavid being left alone on a breakaway with so much time and space that he could have set up a taco stand and started taking customers. Sure, you could point out that the Panthers nearly scored on the shorthanded chance that immediately preceded McDavid’s dangle, but here in this wrap up, we’re going to enjoy the magic that is our captain.
With the score tied and the Oilers buzzing, the boys were in good shape to pick up the next goal and turn Saturday’s win into a mini streak. Despite missing four of their top nine forwards, the Oilers were manufacturing offensive chances en masse and it was only a matter of keeping at it while knowing that the lead was there for the taking. So when Tyson Barrie gave the Oilers the lead just over five minutes into the frame, it felt like the Oilers were finally where they deserved to be. The Hockey Gords, however, felt differently. In the 10 minutes following Barrie’s marker from the slot, the Panthers responded with two straight goals of their own to not only erase the work Edmonton did but wrestle the lead back into their corner. And just when we thought we’d be wrapping up our night with a disappointing loss lingering like a fart, Evan Bouchard sent the game to overtime with a blast that beat Knight with only five seconds remaining. Once the game got to overtime, McDavid and Draisaitl are simply unstoppable and you can add the Panthers to the long list of teams that could not stop the Dynamic Duo from securing another incredible comeback win.
The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

  • Connor McDavid tied the game (1-1) with a power play goal that came on a breakaway after Zach Hyman put him in alone with a bomb of a pass from his own zone that hit the captain at the opposite blue line. Once Connor had the puck with that much space, there was no stopping him, and that included Spencer Knight who had no answer for the filthy backhand deke and shelf job.
  • Tyson Barrie gave the Oilers the lead (2-1) with a tap-in from the doorstep after he charged toward the net from his post on the blue line, perfectly deflecting Hyman’s centering pass past a sliding Spencer Knight. Make that Barrie’s third goal against the Panthers this season, which is pretty damned good considering he only has four.
  • With only 5 seconds left in the game, Evan Bouchard tied the game for a second time (3-3) with a blast that kept the Oilers alive and pushed the game to OT.
  • Leon Draisaitl finished the game (4-3) in overtime after he and McDavid broke into the offensive zone on an odd-man rush and executed the play perfectly. Connor to Leon and then it’s game over.
  • After a tough outing in his last start, I was looking forward to watching Stuart Skinner get back in the crease and give us a strong bounce-back game, which is exactly what he did against the Panthers. By no means was it a perfect night, but Skinner made the saves he needed to make to keep his club in the mix and ultimately give them the win. From start to finish, the Oilers got what they needed from Stu and that’s really all that matters. Skinner finished the night with 25 saves and a .893 save%.
  • How about Zach Hyman with a trio of assists and a disallowed goal against the team that drafted him? Former Panthers curse? Can it be a thing?
  • Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has six points (1G, 5A) in his last five games, and I couldn’t be happier for the guy as the ‘Year of Nuge’ rolls on.
  • I know I say it all the time but I love watching the Oilers cashing goals in on the power play, and it makes me happy whether they score three goals or one on five tries as they did tonight. Lethal with the PP.
  • Big shout out to James Hamblin for making his NHL debut after being recalled from the Bakersfield Condors. He finished the game with 9:56 in TOI, including 20 seconds on the PK.
  • The Oilers outshot the Panthers by a 40-28 margin and it was nice to see considering Florida takes the most shots in the league, on average.
  • You know I love to see that the Oilers won 58% of the faceoffs. You. Know. This.
  • With this win, the Oilers are now back to .500 at Rogers Place.
  • It still makes me laugh that Paul Maurice dipped on the Winnipeg Jets in the middle of a season because he couldn’t do anything else with the team or whatever his excuse was. Hilarious.

PRESENTED BY BETWAY

THE FACE PALMERS

  • Matthew Tkachuk opened the scoring (1-0) after a blown attempt by Nurse to kick/stop (???) the puck only to have it pop out in front of the net right to where the former Flame was standing. I don’t even know how to describe what happened here but just know that it was a mess.
  • Anton Lundell tied the game (2-2) as the business end of a perfectly executed tic-tac-toe passing play that carved up the offensive zone in a flash. In a span of about two seconds, the puck moved from Luostarinen to Reinhart to Lundell and into the back of the net before anyone could even figure out what was going on.
  • Brandon Montour restored Florida’s lead (3-2) after a wild scramble in front of the net left bodies everywhere and kicked the puck out to the point, giving Montour a look at the wide-open net.
  • The Oilers gave up one goal on four shorthanded situations, which isn’t the worst PK effort of all time but certainly not the best either. Killing off penalties is still an area we need to improve.
  • How did we lose both Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele on the ride home from New York? How hard were they celebrating that win?
  • I guess I don’t know what the rules to high sticking are anymore.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

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