GDB 34.0 Wrap Up: Oilers complete the comeback and sweep the Jets with 4-2 win

Photo credit:Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

3 years ago

So long and thanks for the points. Final Score: 4-2 Oilers

As much as I complained about the start of Thursday’s game being boring for its lack of shots and shots, it was the kind of lockdown effort that needed to be played to win. Both teams had played the night before but rather than a mistake-filled gong show, we got about as tight of a defensive game as anyone could have predicted from two clubs that had scored a combined 33 goals in the four previous meetings. In the opening moments of tonight’s rematch, you could tell right away that we were in line for a game that was likely to be more offensive than the last as both sides had their legs moving and were exchanging shots at a much higher rate. Unfortunately, it was the Jets that were able to strike first, tagging the Oilers with a pair of goals midway through the period that put our boys in a hole that would be tough to climb out of. But as done so many times before, Connor McDavid seemingly looked at the two-goal deficit as some kind of personal slight and used it as motivation for yet another highlight-reel goal where he single handedly took over the play before finding the back of the net.

Down by a goal but by no means out of the game, the first step for the Oilers was to keep getting quality shifts from all four lines to not only prevent the Jets from increasing the lead but also to build themselves some momentum. And with Connor Hellebuyck dialled in from Jumpstreet, the Oilers needed to find a balance between opening things up to try and manufacture enough chances to beat the defending Vezina winner and taking care of their own end against a squad with plenty of firepower. While they were certainly able to produce the chances they wanted, they were unable to beat the goaltender… at least, not at first. Despite the probable frustration that came after what was a strong but scoreless second period, the Oilers kept pushing forward and firing pucks on net until they were finally able to crack the code and even the score with a snipe from Darnell Nurse. With the tying goal out of the way, the Oilers were relentless in their pursuit of the win and it wasn’t exactly to see the Dynamic Duo being the ones that teamed up for the game winner and close out what can surely be described as a very impressive comeback win.

The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

@Connor McDavid pulled his team back to within one (2-1) after he executed another cheat-code play in the Jets’ zone that saw him circle the net with the puck, weave his way through traffic,
@Darnell Nurse tied the game up (2-2) early in the third period with a perfectly place snapshot that beat Hellebuyck high over the glove side. Puljujarvi found Darryl in his office in the high slot and the red-hot defender made absolutely no mistake. Nurse had another huge night for the Oilers, finishing the game with two points, 26:41 in TOI, two shots on goal, two hits, four blocks, and a +4 rating.
@Leon Draisaitl gave the Oilers their first lead of the night (3-2) with a go-ahead goal that came on the back of a textbook 2-on-1 with McDavid midway through the third period. McDavid had the puck with speed along the left-hand side of the ice, leaving Draisaitl open for a one-timer that he connected with perfectly.
@Devin Shore put the final nail in the coffin with an empty net goal to not only close out the win but also to confirm my 4-2 final score prediction from this morning’s GDB.
@Mike Smith was back in the crease and tasked with backstopping the boys to a series sweep of the Winnipeg Jets. As requested, Smith came through when he was called upon and while the Jets weren’t exactly firing like world beaters, the goaltender still needed to make more than his share of quality stops — including a few highlight-reel Superman style saves — in order to lock in the win. Smith finished the night with 29 saves and a .935 save%.
I have to pump @Jesse Puljujarvi’s tires for what was another very strong outing that came complete with seeing his name on the scoresheet. The kid is just a monster on the ice, he’s completely unmoveable when he wants to be, and I cannot wait to see what he looks like after some more time and at-bats.
I also wanted to give @Adam Larsson some love for the way he’s rebounded from a tough start to the season and back into the shutdown guy that can eat up minutes for this blueline. While it’s more unlikely that Larsson would reach the scoresheet than Barrie or Nurse, the job he does for this team is just as important.
If you had told me on Wednesday night that @Jujhar Khaira would be back in the lineup this weekend against the Jets I would have never believed you. I was shocked when I saw that he was going to play and I am very happy to see that he was okay.
Oilers outshot the Jets by a 37-31 margin. We love the Corsi. The Corsi is good.
Did you think that I was going to send you off into the night without letting you know that the Oilers won 51% of the faceoffs?

THE FACE PALMERS

@Andrew Copp got the Jets on the board (1-0) with a powerplay goal after he was the beneficiary of a very lucky bounce that saw the puck deflect off Larsson’s skate before hitting Copp and going in. Not a whole lot Smith could do about that.
Pierre-Luc Dubois extended the Jets lead after Josh Morrissey’s point shot made its way through traffic, changed direction somewhere along the line, and beat Smith down low.
@Connor Hellebuyck was incredibly annoying for the first 40-ish minutes. Indescribably annoying, even.
The Oilers’ powerplay only got one chance to work on Thursday and they weren’t able to get a goal, so I was hoping that they’d be able to better that result here in round two. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be as the boys were unable to cash anything in on any of the three chances they had with the man advantage.
The Oilers also lost out on the penalty kill battle, after allowing one goal on the three chances they faced.
Speaking of the powerplay, what does Jesse Puljujarvi have to do to get more minutes with the first unit?
I’m not going to make a big deal of it but the ref was as inconsistent tonight as ever. The league should be embarrassed but they’re not and I don’t get it.
@Kailer Yamamoto missed his second straight game and I definitely missed his tenacity on the ice. Regardless of whether he’s scoring or not, no one will ever question his effort and I definitely notice when he’s not around.
I went out searching for @Evan Bouchard but I still can’t find him. Don’t worry, though, because I won’t give up.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

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