GDB 44.0 Wrap Up: A four-goal third period lifts Oilers to 4-1 win over Montreal

Photo credit:Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

3 years ago

Sacre bleu. Final Score: 4-1 Oilers

After Saturday’s huge win over the Winnipeg Jets, I was feeling pretty good about the Oilers’ game heading into their first of two meetings in this mini-series against the Canadiens. That said, I also know how the Habs have run Edmonton’s show so far this season, and I was eager to find out how our boys planned to respond without having their lunch money stolen again. In the early going, there wasn’t all that much to get excited about when it came to offence outside of the McGoal that was called back for goalie interference, but for whatever reason, these two teams were not at all interested in becoming pen pals and it made for a fun night. Seeing as these two teams really haven’t played each other that much recently, there was an almost unexpected dose of feistiness sprinkled throughout this matchup and it added a flavour that really cranked up the intensity. There may not have been any goals but there were shenanigans and it got me excited about how the rest of this game was going to play out, and it did not disappoint. (We’ll get there.)

Moving into the second period, the pace of the game picked up a little bit as both sides looked to break the deadlock and get themselves on the board first. And while the first handful of minutes were very much more of the same back-and-forth we’d seen up until that point, it was the Canadiens that were able to strike first on the back of a lucky bounce off of Eric Staal’s skate. It sucked, but it was lucky. Down by a goal with half a game left to play, the Oilers needed to pivot their focus from engaging in the physical side of the game to something more focused on generating offence. While the chippiness remained constant, I thought the Oilers did a really nice job of manufacturing chances for themselves even though they just weren’t able to get the puck luck to go along with those opportunities. It’s not like they didn’t have their share of quality looks but they just couldn’t get anything to stick. Heading into the third period down by one, we all knew that the Oilers had to be desperate for a goal but I don’t think any of us were prepared for the four-goal outburst that was about to happen, but I can sure as shit tell you that we all loved to see it.

Led by their captain, the Oilers came roaring back against a team that has played them tough all season long and I have to imagine that win will probably feel pretty damned good for the boys in the room.

The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

@Ethan Bear tied the game (1-1) after McDavid found him in the high slot where the defender teed off on a one-timer that beat Allen up high for his first goal in 49 games. I’m going to keep pumping Ethan Bear’s tires until we’re all back on the same page about how good he is for this hockey club because he’s been excellent lately. Bear finished with 20:09 in TOI to go along with two shots on goal and one block.
@Connor McDavid gave his team the lead (2-1) with a ridiculous coast-to-coast rush that saw him carve through the Canadiens’ defence before gently lifting the puck up and over Allen while off-balance and falling. I don’t know what you can say about the guy other than he’s a human Game Genie — it’s the only thing that makes sense.
@Jesse Puljujarvi gave his team some insurance (3-1) after McDavid sent him in alone on a breakaway with a perfect pass and the big boy did not miss. Outside of the goal, I thought Puljujarvi had a fantastic night and I was very happy to see him get rewarded with his 11th goal of the season.
@Devin Shore continued his fine run of late with an empty-net goal (4-1) that poured salt into the Canadiens’ gaping wound.
After shutting out the Jets on Saturday night, @Mike Smith was back in the crease and looking for his 16th win of the season. And as he was on Saturday, the veteran netminder was tremendous again and provided the kind of backstopping we’ve seen from him all season long. Smith finished the night with 22 saves and a .957 save%.
I know @Adam Larsson doesn’t show up on the scoresheet a whole lot but I’ve definitely noticed how well he’s been playing in his own end.
I also thought this was @Zack Kassian’s best game in a long time and it was very nice to see him engaged in all three zones on the ice.
The penalty kill took care of both of Montreal’s chances with the man advantage and I am tipping my cap to them for it.
The Oilers outshot the Habs by a 36-23 margin and I feel like the Corsi Gords will be happy with us.
Do you love knowing that the Oilers won 53% of the faceoffs? Of course you do.
When you have the two best players on the planet, the only option is to make a t-shirt that reflects their brilliance. Shine bright, boys. Pick up the Dynamic Duo tee here.

THE FACE PALMERS

Eric Staal opened the scoring (1-0) for the Canadiens after he drove to the net and got a lucky bounce off of his skate that hopped up over a sprawling Smith.
The Oilers were unable to get anything done with their four powerplay chances and it was the kind of night where it would have been nice to get one even though it didn’t really matter in the end.
This has to be the worst officiating that we’ve seen all year, right? From start to finish, the refs were garbage, inconsistent, and completely out of their depths in what was another example of the NHL being a trash league.
In the first period, @Jujhar Khaira took a relatively benign-looking hit along the boards but the results were anything but as he struggled to make it to the bench with wobbly legs. This was a scary sequence for a guy that just got a concussion not long ago, and I hope he gets the time he needs to get right.
How could I not talk about the 2-on-0 that McDavid and Puljujarvi had late in the second period where they couldn’t even get a shot on net? Not sure I’ve ever seen that before.
I wish the building could have been full so all of those Canadiens fans in attendance would have had their night ruined by that third period.
Why don’t we get to see the reverse retro jerseys anymore? What was the point of them if the team was only able to wear them three times? Oh, right. Gouge the fans for money. Right.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

Talk to me, Twitter. Tweet at @Oilersnation and @jsbmbaggedmilk for your chance to land in the Best of the Tweets.

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