GDB 36.0 Wrap Up: Back in the win column, Oilers close out 2-1 win in Dallas

4 years ago

The losing streak is over! Final Score: 2-1 Oilers

The worst part of this losing streak has been looking at the schedule to try and figure out which games our struggling boys will be able to win and finally put an end to this slump. Seeing as Dallas is 5-3-2 over their last 10 games coming into this one, I wasn’t exactly feeling confident that the Stars would be the slump busters we were searching for. Even so, I was still hopeful that the Oilers would be able to avenge the collapse that resulted in a loss when these two teams met up at Rogers Place a month ago, and that they’d use the heartache caused by a horrific third period as motivation to get themselves back in the win column. As always, I’ll be the first to admit that ending the losing streak was a simple dream but it was a beautiful one. To put it another way, I was getting sick and tired of eating beets and I needed a win to not only calm my Oilers-related anxiety but also my ailing stomach.

Over the past four games, the Oilers haven’t been able to put together the kind of start that would set them up to win, and yeah, they scored first a couple of times but they were never able to build upon what they had going early. Tonight, was a different story. On this night, the Oilers hit the ground running and were not only able to score a quick goal to open the scoring but they able to follow it up with another, building themselves a two-goal lead at the end of 20 minutes. As the game moved into the second period, I was curious to see how the boys would be able to handle the inevitable pushback that would come as Dallas tried to worm their way back into the mix. And when the Stars’ started to counterpunch, the Oilers were able to bend without breaking and while I’m sure they would have liked to extend the lead it was still an effective road period for the visitors. Yes, there were painful moments along the way but the guys never really looked out of control, not like we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks anyway.

Up by two goals with a period to play, the Oilers had the chance to end the losing streak and keep themselves in the mix for first in the Pacific Division. To do it, they were going to need to play mistake-free hockey and, if we’re being greedy, find a way to sink a dagger into the Stars’ comeback bid. The bad news was that the dagger goal never did come, but the good news is that the team wouldn’t need it as the two goals put up in the first period ended up being enough, mostly because of the stellar play of Mikko Koskinen. To put it simply, the goaltender was fantastic and his play allowed the team in front of him to work through any mistakes they made, and finish the night with two big points.

The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

@Zack Kassian opened the scoring for the Oilers with his 12th goal of the season after the boys had a strong shift in Dallas’ zone and Connor McDavid found him in the slot with a wide open net. Despite the line changes, Kassian remains stapled to Connor McDavid’s wing and it makes perfect sense since he keeps finding ways of making it work.
@Leon Draisaitl extended the Oilers’ lead to two goals (2-0) with a beautiful power play goal that was a result of some wonderful puck movement deep in the Stars’ zone.
Even though Connor has been putting up points, he hasn’t quite looked McDavid-like for a full game over the past couple of weeks. He’s had plenty of flashes, but it’s been a minute since he absolutely took over a game and made his opposition fear for their lives. And yes, I realize how ridiculous that sounds considering where he’s at in the NHL scoring race, but I guarantee that some of you guys will know what I’m talking about. Anyway, I thought Connor was rushing the puck very well tonight and it’s almost a shame that he was only able to finish with two points on the night.
@Mikko Koskinen was back between the pipes and looking to avenge Saturday night’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. That’s not to say that Koskinen played poorly in that game, but I think we can all agree that there’s at least another save or two to be made, right? Thankfully, Kostco responded with a strong performance that saw him laying a steady foundation that the team ahead of him was able to build upon. From start to finish, Koskinen was fantastic for his team and was obviously a massive reason that they won this hockey game. He finished the night with 34 saves and a .971 save%.
I said it on Saturday night and I’ll say it again right now, I’ve really liked the way @Adam Larsson has played over the last little while. After taking a few games to get back into the swing of things, Larsson is looking a lot more like his old self after missing the first six weeks of the season with a broken leg. Needless to say, Larsson is a huge part of this defensive group and it’s incredibly important to have him playing at his best.
Sticking with that same d-pairing, @Oscar Klefbom was a workhorse for Dave Tippett tonight as he played 30:32 in all situations and finished with two shots on goal and six big blocks. The guy has been so great all season long and I think more people should be talking about it.
After struggling a little bit over his past few games (no surprise for a rookie btw), @Ethan Bear had a fantastic night on the blue line for the Oilers. He was making smart choices with the puck, moving it effectively, defending well in his own zone, and looking much more like the player that’s stolen all of our hearts this season.
I don’t know about you guys, but I was happy to have Gene Principe back on the broadcast tonight. I know he was and still is dealing with a personal situation but I can honestly say that I find games more enjoyable when he’s there. Welcome back, Gene.

THE FACE PALMERS

Tyler Seguin scored late in the third period to bring the Stars to within one goal (2-1) after he found some time, space, and a loose puck in the slot in front of Mikko Koskinen. With the puck on his stick from point-blank range, the former second overall pick made no mistake of burying his first goal in 10 games.
The Nuge-Khaira-Chiasson line did not do it for me tonight. By my eye, any time the Oilers were hemmed in their own zone it was generally that line that was the culprit. Depth on the wings could use an upgrade or something because this trio did not work together.
Anyone else feel like they were going to have a heart attack in the final few minutes of the third period? Good gracious that was stressful.
I know the Oilers scored on the power play but I felt like they should have had more than the one goal considering the six opportunities they had. If the PP was as lethal as we’ve seen all season, this game would have been over long before the final buzzer sounded and it would’ve been a really nice way to cap the evening off. Either way, the boys still cashed one in with the man advantage and now have PP goals in eight straight games.
Oilers outshot 35-28 tonight and that’s an ugly stat to see considering how many chances Edmonton had on the power play.
Do we care about the boys being only 44% in the faceoff circle? I do.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
08:07	Edmonton	Zack Kassian (12) ASST: Connor McDavid (38), Darnell Nurse (15)	1-0
14:13	Edmonton	PPG – Leon Draisaitl (21) ASST: Alex Chiasson (8), Connor McDavid (39)	2-0