GDB 17.0 Wrap Up: Oilers again squander an early lead in loss to Panthers
8 months ago
Another game, another blown first-period lead for the Oilers.
On Monday evening, the Oilers faced off against the Florida Panthers and dropped the game by a score of 5-3. This brought their record to 5-11-1 on the season.
Calvin Pickard made his season debut for the Oilers and allowed four goals on 32 shots, good for an .875 save percentage. Special teams were again a factor in this game as Edmonton’s power play went 0-for-3 while a power play goal from Carter Verhagaege gave the Panthers a momentum swing in the first.
THE WRAP UP IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Edmonton jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but promptly blew it before the end of the first period. Captain Connor McDavid scored on a penalty shot, but Florida immediately fired back with the tying goal only a minute and eight seconds later. Florida eventually pulled ahead with the lead, before ultimately closing it out.
McDavid was by far the best player on the ice, sniping the puck over Florida’s goaltender while along the goal line. His second goal came on the aforementioned penalty shot after Florida’s defender took out his legs. Evander Kane picked up the other Oiler goal on a great pass by Ryan McLeod. This was Kane’s eighth goal of the season and his 16th point in 17 games.
Edmonton came into the third period down 4-3 and weren’t able to pull off a rally. They dominated zone time, but were unable to beat Sergei Bobrovsky, who saved all 12 shots in the period. The Oilers also had two attempts on the power play in the third period, but couldn’t get anything going. Florida scored into the empty net and won by a score of 5-3.
Even though the Oilers lost, it was a very entertaining game. Between the two teams, there were 46 penalty minutes, including Vincent Desharnais’ second fight in as many games, and plenty of scrums after the whistle. Kane had 14 penalty minutes because of misconduct, while Hyman picked up three minors. I don’t miss having to play against Matthew Tkachuk four or five times a year, either.
Edmonton’s next game is on Wednesday against the Carolina Hurricanes at 5:00 PM MT. If you’re wondering when the classic Florida/Edmonton rivalry resumes, their next game is on December 16 back in Edmonton.
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