GDB 4.0 Wrap Up: No ‘W’ for the Jets and no airport for the Peg, Oilers win 5-4 in OT

5 years ago

Shout out to everyone that turned off their TV early. Final Score: 5-4 Oilers in overtime

After picking up their first win of the season against the Rangers, the Oilers were back in action and in tough against the Winnipeg Jets as they looked to add another ‘W’ to their totals. With all of the travel they’ve done and the kookiness that went into the start of this season, I think anyone would have been pumped with a 2-2 start. But if the Oilers were going to turn Saturday’s win into a streak then they were going to have to have a lot of things go their way, including the emergence of some secondary scoring and some competent defending to go along with it. More importantly than either of those things, though, was the need to get 60 minutes worth of effort and to get it from the moment the puck dropped. But since you’ve already watched the game and you’re reading this right now, you know that not of this happened… at least not in the beginning. Rather than being fired up for the start of this game, the Oilers appeared like they were all too happy to roll over and show the Jets their bellies. Classic rope-a-dope, I guess.

As the game moved through the second period and into the third, I’ll be the first to admit that spirits were ground-level low as the Oilers trailed by a score of 4-1 with only 20 minutes to play. To say that this game looked out of reach is a massive understatement. Amazingly, the team didn’t count themselves out like those that shut off their TVs off early and it set the stage for one of the best comebacks that I’ve seen in a very long time. But as amazing as this comeback was to watch, it’s hard to pass over the fact that Oilers were outclassed and outplayed by the Jets for the bulk of this hockey game. Outside of an occasional flash of offence or exciting McShift, the Oilers looked like they were hanging on for dear life through 40 minutes and that was tough to watch. For as happy as I am with the way this thing turned out, I can’t help but feel like we’re insanely lucky to be talking about a win and not another devastating loss. I’m not going to complain, but I’m just saying that they pulled this out by the skin of their teeth and Connor McDavid’s sheer will.

Let’s be grateful for the two points tonight, but hope for a much better start in their home opener on Thursday.

The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

Connor McDavid opened the scoring for the Oilers as he hit the turbo button and flew past the Jets defence, ripping a snap shot past Hellebuyck. Connor scored his second goal early in the third period after he was in the perfect spot to bang home a rebound that came from a quick snapshot by RNH that caught Hellebuyck by surprise. With that goal, McDavid was in on all eight of the Oilers goals which set a new NHL record. He made it nine for nine a little bit later when Puljujarvi scored. Each and every night before I go to sleep I thank the good Gord for Connor McDavid because the man is a gift.
Ty Rattie got himself his first goal of the season after picking up a fanned shot by McDavid in the slot, and firing into the roof of the net. Connor kinda whiffed on one but Rattie was right there to pick up the loose puck and bury it, getting the Oilers back to within two goals. Great shot by Rattie.
Jesse Puljujarvi couldn’t have picked a better time to get his first goal of the season after he parked his big carcass in front of the net with his stick on the ice, laying down a perfect target for Nuge. Quite frankly, this was Puljujarvi’s best game of the season and I was very happy to see that McLellan recognized it and moved him up in the lineup.
How about Darnell Nurse’s OT winner? Ol’ Darryl pulled out the dirty dangles as he walked the Jets defender and ripped a short-side wrister past the goalie to complete the comeback. What a play. Wow. I fist pumped so loud I almost punched my ceiling.
Credit to the top four on D because they had to play a lot of minutes tonight. With the third pairing basically riding the pine for most of the night, the other four guys really had to pick up the slack and they did a fine job of it.
I know people are going to take shots at Cam Talbot tonight, but he was a huge reason the Oilers were able to stay in the game as long as they did. I don’t know how many times his teammates left him out to dry far too often for my liking. Talbot finished with 29 saves and a .879 save%.
The Oilers power play was perfect tonight and I loved seeing it. I know they didn’t necessarily set up for anything on the two they popped but they were determined and hungry for the puck and I like that.
Who went 62% on the dot? The Oilers did. Hell yeah.

THE FACE PALMERS

Adam Lowry opened the scoring for the Jets after his line put in a clinic on cycling the puck down low. By the time Lowry scored, he had an open late to the net and enough time to make a sandwich. A few minutes later, he added another goal after yet another defensive breakdown by the Oilers.
Only 22 seconds after Connor McDavid got the Oilers on the board, Ben Chiarot restored the two-goal with a seeing-eye shot from the point that made its way through a couple of bodies and into the net. Ugly coverage by the Oilers again.
Mark Scheifele put the Jets up by three goals after their power play moved the puck effectively around the zone, leaving a wide-open #55 to put home a rebound attempt from the slot. When Scheifele scored I honestly thought that was it. Sports!
I know it’s early in the season and I know he got a couple of points tonight, but I think we can all agree that the Oilers need a hell of a lot more from Leon Draisaitl. I know Leon has a history of being a slow starter but they need the big guy to get going.
After being a healthy scratch against New York, Matt Benning drew back into the lineup and raised the eyebrows of some Oilers fans given the struggles he’s had so far this season. Unfortunately, he struggled again tonight as the Benning-Garrison pairing was directly responsible for the first two Winnipeg goals.
The penalty kill looked ugly on Scheiefele’s goal and it made me really nervous about the rest of the game but they were rock-solid in the final two attempts. 1/3 ain’t bad, ain’t great.
That charging call on Milan Lucic was one of the worst pieces of refereeing that I’ve seen in a while. Two minutes because big. Gross.
The fine people of Winnipeg deserve an airport and it’s a real shame that they can’t have one.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
04:51	Winnipeg	Adam Lowry (2) ASST: Brandon Tanev (3)	0-1
07:47	Winnipeg	Adam Lowry (3) ASST: Mathieu Perreault (1), Andrew Copp (1)	0-2
12:49	Edmonton	PPG – Connor McDavid (3) ASST: Leon Draisaitl (3)	1-2
13:11	Winnipeg	Ben Chiarot (1) ASST: Nikolaj Ehlers (1), Dmitry Kulikov (1)	1-3

2ND PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
01:02	Winnipeg	PPG – Mark Scheifele (2) ASST: Patrik Laine (2), Josh Morrissey (5)	1-4

3RD PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
00:18	Edmonton	Ty Rattie (1) ASST: Connor McDavid (4), Oscar Klefbom (1)	2-4
02:28	Edmonton	PPG – Connor McDavid (4) ASST: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2), Leon Draisaitl (4)	3-4
13:39	Edmonton	Jesse Puljujarvi (1) ASST: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (3), Connor McDavid (5)	4-4

OT PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
01:25	Edmonton	Darnell Nurse (1) ASST: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (4)	5-4

#GOODCONTENT

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NATION ROADIE TO CALGARY

Photoshop: @isuckatpicking

Just like last year, it was important for us to try and make this trip as cheap as possible and to announce it as early as we could to give you as much time as possible to get your life in order. Based on last year’s trip, this is a roadie that you really won’t want to miss — it’s an absolute blast and a good chance to get ridiculous behind enemy lines. And since I already know that you want to come, let’s get to the when, where, and how much, shall we?

Give me the details, guy:

When? Saturday, November 17th, 2018
How much? The depends on how many people are coming with you. To put it another way, we’ve got a range of options including single occupancy ($329/person) up to groups of four ($249/person).
Why? Because we love to party
Where do you buy tickets? Right here, friend. But be warned, just like the last time we did this, the trip sold out quickly and procrastinating will be your enemy if you want to come.

Source: NHL, Official Game Page, 10/16/2018 – 8:30 pm MST

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