GDB 43.0 Wrap Up: Oilers were in control from start to finish, light Ducks up for 6-2 win

1 year ago

You love to see five different goal scorers, don’t ya? Final Score: 6-2 Oilers

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I was so mad on Monday night. Not only did the Oilers lose to a divisional opponent in what was a huge opportunity to gain some ground, but the way they lost was shocking as the PK gave up four goals in seven shorthanded situations. It was the kind of loss that had us all raging well into the night, and the Oilers looking as disjointed as ever. Falling behind the pack, the boys needed a good start against the helpless Anaheim Ducks and anything less would be indescribably problematic. So to have the Oilers put four goals up on the board in the first period — all four from different players, I might add — was the kind of response we all needed to see. Whether you were wearing a white jersey or watching from your couch, having a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes was the exact kind of road period that should happen against an opponent like this.

Heading into the second period, the Oilers needed to keep the pedal to the floor without giving the Ducks even an ounce of hope that they’d be able to climb back into this hockey game. I was looking for some kind of dark ages evil that saw the Oilers put such a beat down on Anaheim that the NHL intervened and ran the clock. Like PPV wrestling from the 90s, I wanted the Ducks to be ladder match funked by the time this game was over. No mercy, kick ’em while they’re down. Much to our collective delight, the Oilers did exactly as hoped and kept pushing the pace with no regard for Anaheim’s wishes or feelings. With two more goals on the board for the good guys and hardly a sniff for the home side, this was the result we were looking to achieve. And honestly, had it not been for some timely saves by John Gibson then this game could have gotten even more out of hand than it was.

Considering the five-goal lead the Oilers carried into the third period, it was hard to imagine any result other than a win but that was also the exact line of thinking the boys needed to avoid. Even though their lead was huge, why throw the Ducks a lifevest when tossing an anchor at them would be so much more fun? Yet, despite my own yearning for hate-filled revenge, the Ducks are still an NHL team with players that can score if you’re sloppy with the puck, which is exactly what happened in the opening minute of the period after a breakdown defensively allowed them to get one back. Snapping back to reality, the Oilers resumed their onslaught as they looked to get something through former Oiler, Anthony Stolarz, who had replaced Gibson in net for the final frame. Unfortunately, that final item on the to-do list was not meant to be, although it didn’t really matter as the game had long been won by that point. I know the Ducks aren’t very good and should be beaten more often than not, but I’m still counting the win and the silver lining for the Oilers performing as they should have against a team like this.

The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

Dylan Holloway got bumped up into the top six and it didn’t take him long to pick up a goal (1-0) on a quick shot from the slot after McDavid fed him with the pass. Over the past few weeks, Holloway has started to look a whole lot more comfortable and it would be an incredible bonus if he could
Just over a minute after Holloway’s opener, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins extended the lead (2-0) with his 20th goal of the year after his snapshot from the slot took a few lucky bounces before sliding just inside the post. My guy has already matched his full-season points total from last year in only 43 games in 2022-23, and I could not be happier for him. Hell of a season for RNH.
Connor McDavid restored the Oilers’ two-goal lead (3-1) on a ridiculous goal that came complete with a spin, a dangle, and a backhander that beat Gibson cleanly over the glove. I mean, I don’t even know how to describe that goal other than to say that it was absolutely ridiculous. Our man is a cheat code.
Klim Kostin continues his run for Mayor of Edmonton as he picked up the Oilers fourth goal (4-1) in the final minute of the first period after he intercepted a pass and fired off a quick wrister that beat Gibson low on the blocker side. Klim Shady added another goal (5-1) near the midway point of the second period as the business end of a beautiful passing play that saw his line move the puck around the zone with precision. How many of us hadn’t even heard of Klim Kostin when he was acquired let alone expect him to chip in with seven goals through 27 games played?
Leon Draisaitl got the Oilers’ sixth goal of the night (6-1) on a beautifully executed between-the-legs deflection on a shot/pass from Bouchard at the half-boards.
With Stuart Skinner back in Edmonton for the birth of his first child, Jack Campbell was back between the pipes and looking to pick up a win against a team the Oilers needed to beat after their last meeting back at Rogers Place. And while he wasn’t nearly as busy as his counterpart, Campbell looked steady and comfortable in net, making all of the saves we’d expect him to make in a game like this, and to Soup’s credit, he got the job done. Campbell finished the night with 21 saves and a .913 save%.
Congrats to Vincent Desharnais on making his NHL debut, an outcome that doesn’t happen often with many 7th round pucks. The big man finished the night with 15:04 in TOI to go along with three hits and one blocked shot. Really nice debut for the big man.
How about the sneaky little two-point night from Evan Bouchard? Our guy can put up points already, and he’s going to be a real menace when he starts to round out the defensive side of his game.
After getting shut out on the power play against the Kings, the Oilers got themselves back on the scoresheet with one goal on the two chances they had. It should be noted that the Oilers didn’t play their top unit on their second power play chance.
More importantly, the penalty kill went a perfect 3-for-3 after allowing four goals against the Kings on Monday. Nice bounce back performance for the PK crew.
Oilers outshot the Ducks by a wide margin (53 to 23) and it was nice to see them firing from the parking lot against a goaltender that was horrible.
Am I happy about the Oilers winning 54% of the faceoffs? Yes. I am. You knew I would be.

PRESENTED BY BETWAY

THE FACE PALMERS

Sam Carrick pulled the Ducks back to within a goal (2-1) after some sloppy defence coverage allowed Anaheim to get a cycle going that Bouchard and Nugent-Hopkins could not defend.
Simon Benoit cut the lead to four goals (6-2) n the opening minute of the third period after his point shot made its way through traffic and passed Campbell on the blocker side. Nurse was battling with Carrick right the slot and I find it hard to believe that Soup saw much of anything on that shot.
Ryan McLeod’s had the worst luck. Did he hit the post once or twice? Either way, the guy had a couple of really solid chances to score but he really could have used a little luck to have something cash for him.
Can I be honest? I was hoping for Warren Foegele to play like his hair was on fire after coming back from a pair of healthy scratches but he just can’t seem to find any traction right now. We need the guy and I hope he has a goal bounce in off his ass or something soon because he could use a boost.
What was the deal with the camera angle? It was almost like the camera was just off centre and it was throwing me off all night.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD			OILERS	DUCKS
3:24	Edmonton	Dylan Holloway (3) Assists: Connor McDavid (44), Tyson Barrie (25)	1	0
4:38	Edmonton	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (20) Assists: Philip Broberg (4), Evan Bouchard (14)	2	0
8:52	Anaheim	Sam Carrick (3) Assists: Max Comtois (1)	2	1
10:23	Edmonton	Connor McDavid (35) Assists: Kailer Yamamoto (8)	3	1
19:02	Edmonton	Klim Kostin (6) Unassisted	4	1

2ND PERIOD			OILERS	DUCKS
7:41	Edmonton	Klim Kostin (7) Assists: Mattias Janmark (7), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (30)	5	1
18:44	Edmonton	Leon Draisaitl (23) (Power Play) Assists: Evan Bouchard (15)	6	1

3RD PERIOD			OILERS	DUCKS
0:48	Anaheim	Simon Benoit (1) Assists: Brett Leason (2), Max Comtois (2)	6	2

#GOODCONTENT

Talk to me, Twitter. Hit me up at @jsbmbaggedmilk and Wanye at @Oilersnation and you could find yourself landing in this very spot.

BETTER LAIT THAN NEVER

On today’s episode of Better Lait Than Never, I had Liam Horrobin on to talk about his time at Oilersnation, why he loves bananas so much, what it’s like being a head scout for an AJHL team, and what the hell is wrong with the Oilers. Subscribe to Better Lait Than Never for FREE on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts from!

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