GDB 18.0 Wrap Up: King Nothing

7 years ago

Make it five. Final Score: 4-2 Kings

When the Oilers started the season like a house on fire, I kept thinking to myself that this was the year that things were going to be different. No, I never expected them to win seven out of every nine games, but I certainly didn’t expect them to implode the way they have, either. That said, the Oilers have run into some injury problems (surprise, surprise) and also into the Sahara Desert of scoring droughts for most of their offensive weapons. How does this happen all at once? Is the world ending? Are pigs flying? The Oilers needed a breakout game. A night with the Kings? Just what the doctor ordered. *tugs collar*

Coming into tonight’s game, both the Oilers and the Kings were riding four-game losing streaks and desperately looking to get off the train to catastrophe. If the Oilers were going to win this game, they were going to have to come out guns blazing and not let the Kings take an early lead. I know that’s a tall order around these parts, so I wasn’t exactly feeling good about it. Unfortunately, Edmonton always seems willing to act out my nightmares. On one hand, it was nice that the Oilers confirmed my gut feeling, but on the other hand, I don’t want to be right. The Oilers started this game looking like a team that was waiting to lose. They made too many mistakes and it cost them their fifth loss in a row. I guess it goes without saying that spotting the Kings two goals in the first period works about as well as making coffee in the toaster.

To their credit, the Oilers did play better after Todd McLellan mixed up the lines in the second period, but they still made the same glaring mistakes and they still played sloppy defense. After battling their way back to tie the game at two, the Oilers let the Kings walk in on a short handed two-on-one which resulted in Jeff Carter scoring the winning goal. The game was tied for 34 seconds before the Oilers pulled out their pocket derringers to shoot themselves in the foot. The most frustrating part about this loss is that the second period showed that the Oilers can play with the Kings. The problem is that teams like the Kings don’t make the kind of errors that Edmonton makes on a regular basis. Those errors cost them the game and the losing streak is extended to five. At least those 34 seconds were fun.

We wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

When the Oilers looked down and out Darnell Nurse rushed up the ice and snapped a beautiful wrister past Peter Budaj for his third goal of the year. Ol’ Darryl was flying out there, and he looked like he was going to get more than one goal. Nurse had a great game.
Todd McLellan moved Andrej Sekera up with Adam Larsson and I think that pair worked better. Klefbom needed to get some easier minutes because he looks like a guy that missed an entire season last year. Klefbom needs to get better, and the Oilers will hope that he can gain some confidence playing lower in the lineup. Apparently, the move worked because Oscar Klefbom scored his first goal of the season. His goal was huge because it brought the Oilers back all the way back from the two-goal deficit they got themselves into.
McLellan also moved Lucic and Puljujarvi up with Connor and Maroon and Eberle with Nuge. It seemed to spark the team a little bit, and I wonder if McLellan will keep these lines running full time.
Two goals from the defence tonight. When the forwards aren’t scoring it’s nice to get a couple goals from the backend.
The second period was easily the Oilers best period. They battled back from a two-goal deficit only to blow it less than a minute later. They put in a lot of work just to let themselves down.
Connor McDavid is a saint for putting up with what he does on the ice. If I was him I would have gone full Happy Gilmore and tried to stab one of the refs with my skate. It’s amazing that he’s able to stay as calm as he does.

THE FACE PALMERS

Wouldn’t you know it that the Oilers allowed the first goal of the night yet again. At least they made it five whole minutes before it happened, ya know? #Blessed
Derek Forbort hadn’t scored a goal all season. Weird that he scored tonight. Weird.
Right after the Kings scored (29 seconds to be exact) Andrej Sekera took a hooking penalty on Tyler Toffoli and he ended up scoring just as Sekera stepped out of the box. Great start for the Oilers, right?
Right after the Oilers tied up the game at two, they found themselves on the power play. You’d think that’s a good thing, right? Not for the Oilers. They allowed their third shorthanded goal against of the year and gave the Kings back the lead after only having the game tied for 34 seconds.
Eberle, Nuge, and Lucic all need to be better. The Oilers depend on these guys to get them goals and none of them were able to do that (Nuge and Eberle did get assists).
Jonas Gustavsson scares me when he’s in net. He’s always sliding out of his crease and challenges way out of the blue paint and he just looks like an accident waiting to happen. He didn’t have the greatest game, but I wouldn’t say he was to blame for the horrible first 10 minutes that the Oilers had. Regardless, Gustavsson finished the night with 21 saves and a .840 save%.
How can Connor get hooked and grabbed all night, every night, and it’s not called as a penalty? It’s getting ridiculous. Gaudreau just broke his finger and will be out for six weeks for this kind of crap. Wake up, NHL. You’re embarrassing yourself.
Jeff Carter loves playing the Oilers. He always seems to find a way to absolutely roast them whenever these two teams play and it’s annoying. Carter finished with another two points.
Oilers got killed in the faceoff circle, winning only 44% of the draws.
Guys like Hendricks, Russell, and Davidson can’t get back soon enough. The Oilers need a burst of energy and maybe one of the guys coming back will help? I’m trying to be optimistic.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
05:09	Los Angeles	Derek Forbort (1) ASST: Kyle Clifford (2), Nick Shore (3)	0-1
07:42	Los Angeles	Tyler Toffoli (5) ASST: Jeff Carter (7), Alec Martinez (8)	0-2

2ND PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
03:44	Edmonton	Darnell Nurse (3) ASST: Leon Draisaitl (6)	1-2
08:32	Edmonton	Oscar Klefbom (1) ASST: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (6), Jordan Eberle (8)	2-2
09:06	Los Angeles	SHG – Jeff Carter (6) ASST: Tyler Toffoli (6)	2-3

3RD PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
13:15	Los Angeles	Devin Setoguchi (3) ASST: Derek Forbort (4), Nic Dowd (7)	2-4

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