GDB 55.0 Wrap Up: Oilers dominant but needed some early saves, fall in the shootout 5-4 to the Red Wings

1 year ago

Gazpacho. Final Score: 5-4 Red Wings in the shootout

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When these two teams met up eight days ago in Detroit, we were treated to a spicy affair that was not only an Oilers win in their first game back from the break but featured all kinds of rough stuff after the whistles. So when I saw a rematch on the schedule this soon, I was hopeful that we’d get a repeat performance. It was a nice thought I suppose, but that wasn’t what we got outside of Detroit being the one to take their early lead into the intermission. This time around, however, the Oilers actually had plenty of chances to get on the board but were either foiled by Ville Husso, hit the post, or couldn’t get the save they needed in their own end. Running on all cylinders, this game wouldn’t have been 2-0 after 20 minutes but closer to a tie game or better. The reality, unfortunately, was that the Oilers were in a hole again and only had two periods left to find a way out.

Down by two goals, there wasn’t really much to say other than the Oilers needed to put their hard hats on and get to work. Starting with Jack Campbell giving the Oilers the saves they would need to crawl back, they also needed to be the ones to get the next goal because going down by a field goal was going to be nearly impossible to overcome. So when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins narrowed the gap less than 90 seconds into the frame with a snapshot from the wall, I thought we were back to being in good shape. Shift by shift, the Oilers were finding ways to win puck battles and manufacture chances for themselves, and it looked like the comeback was on until the Red Wings stopped them in their tracks with a quick response. And even when RNH picked up a second goal to halve the lead for a second time, the Wings got another timely goal to restore their lead and pull back away.

Given that the Oilers’ situation didn’t improve in the second period, all we could really hope for in the third was that the boys would be able to pull off the Hail Mary. Again, it wasn’t that they were playing poorly as a whole but it’s pretty tough to get anything done when your keeper has allowed four goals on 14 shots to that point. Up for the challenge, it wasn’t long before the Oilers found the back of the net with a power play goal from Leon Draisaitl that seemed to set the tone for what was to come. Only two minutes later, Derek Ryan added another goal on the back of a pretty deflection in front of the net, and all of a sudden, the score was tied for the first time since very early in the hockey game. And with the momentum fully on their side, the comeback was not only in sight but looking pretty damned realistic. But with the rest of the third and bonus period solving nothing despite an array of chances for both clubs, the game needed a shootout to decide the winner which seemed pretty anticlimactic relative to what we had just watched.

In the skills competition showdown, the Wings outlasted the Oilers after a clutch goal by Pius Suter to close out their fourth-straight win.

The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got the Oilers on the board (2-1) with a Messier-like snap from his off-wing that beat Husso down low on the blocker side. RNH added a second goal only 10 minutes later to once again narrow Detroit’s lead (3-2) after McDavid set him up on the doorstep for one of the easier tap-ins he’ll ever get. The Year of Nuge continues.
Another day, another multi-point night for Connor McDavid.
Early in the third period, Leon Draisaitl halved Detroit’s lead (4-3) on the power play with a blast from his office after Tyson Barrie hit him with a pass to his wheelhouse.
Only two minutes after Draisaitl’s power play goal, Derek Ryan tied the game (4-4) with a wild deflection from right in front of the net that took a wild change of direction before bouncing past Husso.
The Oilers power play came up with a key goal in the third period to help get the game tied, and that proved to be a huge moment even though we maybe would have liked to see them do better than 1-for-3 on the man advantage.
Klim Kostin was back in the lineup after missing the last one with a hand issue and he made an immediate impact with not only his assist but also the way he was annoying Detroit players on the regular. My guy draws penalties en masse and I love it.
If you’re a fan of the Corskis then you’ll at least be able to celebrate that the Oilers outshot the Wings by a 45-23 margin.
I can’t even enjoy that the Oilers won 54% of the faceoffs.

PRESENTED BY BETWAY

THE FACE PALMERS

Make that six straight losses in games that have gone to extra time.
Dylan Larkin opened the scoring (1-0) from beside the net after he managed to swing the puck around Campbell and inside the far post. Personally, I think that’s a shot that Campbell had to have but I can also appreciate the skill it took Larkin to pull off and also the heater he’s on.
Mo Seider extended Detroit’s lead (2-0) in the dying moments of the first period from a horrible angle after his centering pass attempt bounced into the net off of Philip Broberg’s leg. To be honest, that’s another one that Campbell needed to have.
Robbie Fabbri put the Wings up by two for a second time (3-1) on the power play with a quick shot from the right-side circle that took an unlucky bounce off Broberg’s skate and beat Campbell on the far side.
Olli Maatta put the Wings up by a pair (4-2) with a blast from the high slot after Larkin won the draw clean to set him up on a tee. Yet, even though Maatta had time and space to rip his shot, I still think that was a stoppable puck for Campbell.
Why can’t we extend the 3v3 OT by another five minutes? The shootout is so boring comparatively that it’s such a buzz kill after an exciting overtime period.
The Red Wings blocked a tonne of shots and it was frustrating even though the Oilers still managed to put 45 on net.
Seeing as Jack Campbell had won basically everything since mid-December, I’m going to be kind with my review of his game. When I think of Soup’s night, I think of straining pasta with your bare hands — too much gets through and everything about the experience was painful. That save on Bertuzzi on the 2-on-1 in the third period was ridiculous, though. Campbell finished the night with 19 saves and a .826 save%.
Are you surprised to hear that David Perron picked up two points against his former squad?
On a night when we needed the special teams to come through, the penalty kill gave up two goals on two shorthanded situations.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD			DET	EDM
4:17	Red Wings	Dylan Larkin (21) (Power Play) Assists: Robby Fabbri (5), David Perron (19)	1	0
17:19	Red Wings	Moritz Seider (4) Assists: Andrew Copp (23)	2	0

2ND PERIOD			DET	EDM
1:26	Oilers	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (25) Assists: Connor McDavid (56), Zach Hyman (37)	2	1
9:06	Red Wings	Robby Fabbri (6) (Power Play) Assists: David Perron (20), Filip Hronek (28)	3	1
11:32	Oilers	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (26) Assists: Connor McDavid (57), Evan Bouchard (18)	3	2
16:12	Red Wings	Olli Maatta (5) Assists: Dylan Larkin (31)	4	2

3RD PERIOD			DET	EDM
3:26	Oilers	Leon Draisaitl (31) (Power Play) Assists: Tyson Barrie (29), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (40)	4	3
5:27	Oilers	Derek Ryan (9) Assists: Klim Kostin (5), Philip Broberg (7)	4	4

OT SUMMARY
No Goals Scored

SHOOTOUT SUMMARY			DET
Oilers	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Backhand Wide of Net	0	0
Red Wings	Robby Fabbri Backhand Wide of Net	0	0
Oilers	Connor McDavid Goal Wrist Shot	0	1
Red Wings	David Perron Goal Wrist Shot	1	1
Oilers	Leon Draisaitl Backhand saved by Ville Husso	1	1
Red Wings	Dylan Larkin Wrist Shot saved by Jack Campbell	1	1
Oilers	Zach Hyman Backhand saved by Ville Husso	1	1
Red Wings	Moritz Seider Backhand Wide of Net	1	1
Oilers	Evander Kane Snap Shot saved by Ville Husso	1	1
Red Wings	Pius Suter Goal Backhand	2	1

#GOODCONTENT

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