GDB 2.0 Wrap Up: That’s What First Place Looks Like
7 years ago
The Edmonton Oilers have played two games. The Edmonton Oilers have won two games. Even better, they’ve played both games against Calgary. Final score: 5-3 Oilers.
The Scoring Summary
Calgary makes it 1-0 early
Sean Monahan had the first marker, and if you’re a fan of quick puck movement and intelligence this goal is a good example of those qualities. Andrej Sekera was aggressive at the Calgary blue line, but Monahan moved the puck too quickly for him to create a turnover. Zack Kassian had Johnny Gaudreau lined up for a big hit through the neutral zone, but Gaudreau saw him coming and with a quick sidestep left him alone in the neutral zone. After that, it’s the Oilers in recovery mode until the red light turned on.
Connor McDavid ties it at 1-1
I’m never going to get tired of watching Connor McDavid skate. Never, ever, ever. Quick puck movement from Jordan Eberle and Kris Russell here setup the play.
An ugly one gives the Flames a 2-1 lead
It’s always a bad idea to spend most of a period in the defensive zone, and Edmonton paid for it here. Michael Frolik deserves full credit for firing a hard, accurate shot that found the back of the net, but this is the kind of thing that happens to teams that get out-shot 24-12 in a single frame.
2-2 The Power Play Converts
Early in the second period, Benoit Pouliot seemed to be on a one-man mission to give the Flames a permanent five-on-four advantage, but the Oilers got the odd opportunity, too. Jordan Eberle drew the tripping minor and then cleaned up the garbage around the net to knot the game at 2-2.
3-2 The Power Play Converts Again
Remember Pouliot’s one-man mission to keep Edmonton shorthanded? Todd McLellan stapled him to the bench for a while, and when he returned to the game the first thing Pouliot did was draw a penalty to send the Oilers to the power play. Calgary, understandably, was terrified of Connor McDavid but as a result Milan Lucic was able to set Leon Draisaitl up for a tap-in.
A Shorthanded Goal for Variety; 4-2 Oilers
Mark Letestu doesn’t get a lot of credit, but I’d bet a pile of money that Todd McLellan loves him. An all-situations right-shooting centre with those wheels? What’s not to like?
Lots of Js and Ks makes it close, narrowing Edmonton’s lead to 4-3
That was a lovely shot. It didn’t matter at all to the final outcome, but it was a lovely shot all the same.
(Leon Draisaitl would score an empty-netter to make the final 5-3, but breakaways just aren’t that exciting without the goalie. The video is here for anyone who didn’t see it.)
Things to Remember
- People forget sometimes: Jordan Eberle is a really good hockey player. Connor McDavid and Milan Lucic both had solid games on the one line that was great all night, but Eberle took a backseat to nobody. He scored a goal, added an assist and drew penalties all night.
- Leon Draisaitl had two goals, but I can’t imagine he was thrilled with his game. He picked up the 5-3 empty-netter and had a power play tap-in that might as well have been an empty-netter, but his line spent too much time in the defensive zone. Calgary had 11 shot attempts when he was on the ice at 5-on-5; Edmonton had one.
- Benoit Pouliot started to make amends for his earlier mistakes in the third period, but he’s going to have to keep working at it. Nobody wants to give ice-time to a penalty machine and Patrick Maroon has been good early.
- Cam Talbot held his team in the game early. So far, there isn’t much sign of the early problems he had last season, which is fantastic news for the Oilers, though there have been a couple of odd goals against.
- It wasn’t a banner night for the Oilers’ defence, but Adam Larsson looked solid to me in the defensive zone. Kris Russell had some nice moments, too, though he wasn’t as much of a standout as he was in the first game.
- The Calgary Flames are 0-2 to start the year.
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13, 2016 and you are entered to Win Back Your Trip!
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