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GDB 35.0 Wrap Up: Oilers blow third period lead with five goals against, fall 6-4 to Senators

baggedmilk
2 years ago
Make it stop. Final Score: 6-4 Senators.
I don’t know about you guys but I was excited about this hockey game all day. Even though things haven’t been going our way over the last month or so, I was still super excited to watch the Oilers do their thing after yet another COVID delay saw a handful of games pushed back on the calendar. At this point, all I want is to add any dose of normal back into my daily life, and having Connor McDavid featured on Hockey Night in Canada on a Saturday is a gift that I’m always down to watch. Despite the rage that’s constantly bubbling under the surface these days, I’ll be the first to admit that I still missed sitting down with a NationBeer and cheering or screaming at the Oilers. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago that we went almost a year without any hockey and I’ll take watching games that piss me off over not having anything on the schedule any day of the week. Of course, the hope heading into tonight’s matchup with the Senators is that the success from last season would somehow carry over into the first round of the season series and that a big win would be the first step towards righting the ship. But as we’ve seen so many times before, the Oilers were forced to chase again after they gave up the first goal of the game at the midway point of the first. I don’t know what kind of sacrifice we need to make to the Hockey Gords to stop this madness, but I’m thinking it’s about time we start working with the spirit world on finding some kind of solution.
Heading into the second period with the game tied, I didn’t think the Oilers really needed to change much in their game at all. While there were certainly moments where they looked rusty, the boys were playing with plenty of energy and firing the puck on net in bunches, which suggested that it was only a matter of time before the hard work paid off. I thought that if they could keep up the hustle without getting sloppy in their own zone that there wasn’t much the Senators would be able to do about giving up the lead. And exactly as hoped, it didn’t take long before the Senators were unable to handle the heat and the Oilers were able to wrestle the lead away with a pair of quick goals. All-in-all, things were looking good and the Nation was feeling positive for once. That was, of course, until the third period started and the Oilers came out flat as a board and totally disengaged, which gave Ottawa all the chances they needed to pump home a bundle of goals to not only tie things up but reclaim their lead. I don’t know what happened in the second intermission, but whatever it was caused the Oilers to completely forget what was making them successful earlier in the game or apparently that they hadn’t yet won the game. They couldn’t connect on passes, they couldn’t get a save, they couldn’t sustain pressure in the offensive zone, and the result was one of the most demoralizing losses I’ve ever seen. As far as pissing away a solid effort goes, this was a masterclass by the Oilers.
The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

  • I. LOVE. DEPTH. GOALS.
  • With under a minute left to play in the first period, @Zack Kassian tied the game (1-1) with a power play goal after he ripped a beauty shot on net that Murray could not handle. None of you had a Kassian power play goal on your bingo card. None of you. Not one.
  • Just past the halfway mark of the second period, @Kailer Yamamoto gave the Oilers the lead (2-1) with a breakaway goal after @Warren Foegele found him with an area pass that put the fun-sized winger in alone. The amazing part about the goal was now only the finish but also how Yamo was able to fall down and get back up without missing a beat or puck possession.
  • Shortly after Yamo gave the Oilers the lead, @Brendan Perlini gave the Oilers some insurance (3-1) with a bullet shot from the slot after Duncan Keith hit him with a perfect pass to set him up with a grade-A chance.
  • Just when the wheels looked like they falling off completely, @Darnell Nurse tied the game (4-4) with a wrister from the right circle that beat Murray low to the blocker side.
  • I have to give Duncan Keith some love for his game, especially the way he was moving the puck around with purpose.
  • The power play hadn’t been able to score in five games and that’s why I was happy to see them get on the board on one of three opportunities with the man advantage.
  • At least we won the Corsi, outshooting the Senators by a 37-26 margin.
  • I am thrilled to report that the Oilers won 55% of the faceoffs. You love to see it.
  • Do me a favour by checking out the latest episode of Better Lait Than Never and let me know what you think! Subscribe to Better Lait Than Never for FREE on SpotifyApple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts

THE FACE PALMERS

  • That third period was the worst period of the entire season and I think that says a lot.
  • For the 22nd time in their last 26 games, the Edmonton Oilers gave up the first goal. Marone.
  • Are you surprised that @Josh Norris scored the first goal of the hockey game? You’re not, are you? Bad penalty by Barrie, back of the net for the Senators. Norris added the game winner (5-4) late in the third period on the power play after he ripped a low wrist shot along the ice that beat Skinner as he was moving across the crease.
  • Adam Gaudette pulled the Senators back to within a single goal (3-2) after he took a cross-ice pass into the slot and flipped a backhander up and over Skinner as he was trying to slide across the crease.
  • Only moments after Gaudette cut the lead to one, @Alex Formenton tied the game on a rebound near the crease after an ugly sequence saw Skinner turn the puck over at the worst possible time and William Lagesson wasn’t able to bail him out.
  • @Artem Zub restored the Senators’ lead midway through the third period after he took a pass along the boards and ripped it top corner, up and over Skinner’s glove. When that goal went in, I thought it was going to be the exact moment when my heart broke just like Ralph Wiggum on Valentine’s Day when Lisa hit him with some hard truth.
  • @Zach Sanford added an empty netter (6-4) to throw sand in our eyes and by that point, I was completely dumbfounded how this team keeps looking so bad.
  • @Stuart Skinner was back between the pipes for his 10th start of the year (11th appearance) and tasked with locking things down to end this damned losing streak. And while that plan looked good through 40 minutes, the wheels fell off for Skinner in the third as he was tagged for four goals — some of them pretty ugly ones too — and he just could not stop the bleeding. Skinner finished the night with 20 saves and a .800 save%.
  • Connor and Leon were most non-factors and this team is not nearly good enough to have both guys struggling.
  • The Lagesson – Bouchard pairing was a real problem in the third period. The duo surrendered three goals against in quick succession in the final frame and it was honestly tough to watch.
  • The Oilers’ PK unit has now allowed a goal in six-straight games after surrendering two goals on three shorthanded situations.
  • Does Dave Tippett get a bonus if he doesn’t use his timeouts or what?
  • Once again, the Oilers were way too easy to play against and almost looked like they didn’t know they were allowed to hit people back.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

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