THE BRIGHT SIDE

• Alex Chiasson got his first goal since returning from injury by parking himself in front of the net and being ready for whenever Connor gets the puck to him. As expected, the captain fed Chiasson a perfect pass right into the slot and The Answer placed it perfectly in the lower corner.
• MILAN LUCIC! FINALLY! The big man made his way into the slot on a 2-on-1 break with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and they converted it perfectly. Nuge set Lucic up on a tee and the big man buried it for his second goal of the season and first since the season opener. It’s been a long time coming, big man. Here’s hoping the floodgates open.
• Personally, I think Nuge should be given credit for two assists for ending Milan Lucic’s goal drought by setting him up on a tee with a near tap-in, but I couldn’t find any forms to fill out to file with the NHL. Regardless, a big shout out goes to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for playing in his 500th game with the Oilers tonight and that’s a wild number to see for the former first overall pick at the 2011 NHL Draft. For a guy that is only 25 years old, Nuge has seen more shit in his young career than most people ever will. He’s been through coaches, and teammates, and rebuilds, new reasons for hope, and we’ve never heard him once complain about it.
• Mikko Koskinen had to come into the game in relief of Cam Talbot and he did what he could to calm the waters but there wasn’t really much he could do — the train had already left the station. Tough situation to walk into and he finished the night with 16 saves and a .842 save%.
• Oilers finished at 1/3 on the power play and goal they did score was a very nice display of puck movement which led to Chiasson finishing off the play.
• At least the Oilers led in hits?! Oh wait, that means you didn’t have the puck a lot? Shit.

THE FACE PALMERS

• Dummied on the shot clock 36-22. Great. Just great.
• How do you have three goals against in a single go in off your own players? How? Sweet mercy.
• Evander Kane got the Sharks on the board on their first “shot” of the night after Kane’s attempted centring pass deflected off of a pair of Oilers in front of Cam Talbot before sliding through his legs. Kane wasn’t done there, though, as he got another goal in the second period when yet another centring pass banked in off of his skate. Two goals without a single shot. Pinball Wizard.
• Marcus Sorensen gave the Sharks a two-goal lead on a penalty shot goal that beat Cam Talbot low to the blocker side. To me, it was a pretty weak call against Petrovic that gave Sorensen the PS considering the bullshit Connor McDavid plays through on a nightly basis, but that’s the way things have been going all year. Meh.
• Less than a minute after Chiasson got the Oilers back to within a goal, Joonas Donskoi restored the Sharks two-goal lead after he walked Caleb Jones and reminded us all that he’s only a rookie. Free lesson on this one for the young defenceman and an honourable mention to Russell for the late starfish on the play. Donskoi scored another goal in the third period when he found a loose puck at the side of the net and jammed it into the open net.
• What can you say about Brent Burns’ goal other than it was an absolute snipe? Burns fired that thing into the net so fast that they actually reviewed it just to make sure it went in, and sometimes all you can do is tip your cap to a guy for a hell of a shot.
• Alex Petrovic left the game in the second period after he took a hit to the numbers in the corner. When Sportsnet showed a replay, you could tell that Petrovic wasn’t doing well as he slowly made his way back to the bench. Unfortunately, this one looks like a concussion and we’ll have to wait and see how long he’ll be out for.
• It was no surprise that Cam Talbot got the start tonight after shutting out the Ducks with a 39-save performance on Sunday night less than 24 hours after coming into a game in relief of Mikko Koskinen. Dadbot earned this game and I was curious to see how he’d handle the challenge. The Sharks lit him up for seven goals the last time these teams met up, and I was hoping that’s the kind of shit kicking that would inspire some revenge. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be as Cam Talbot got the hook midway through the second period after allowing four goals on 15 shots. A couple of the goals were certainly lucky ones, but this was in no way the start Dadbot wanted to have.
• It was a tough night for Caleb Jones but it was really one of the only times he’s ever looked like a rookie. But even though he made some mistakes, some even leading directly to goals against, there’s no better way for him to learn than to go through these situations himself.
• How about 40% in the faceoff circle? Just another kick to the shins, really.
• *sigh* As always, you can join in on the #BeetCast conversation over on my Twitter account.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT