GDB 30.0 Wrap Up: Oilers deal with the Devils and snap three-game losing streak
7 months ago
The losing streak is over.
On Thursday evening, the Oilers visited the New Jersey Devils, defeating the pretender 6-3 and moving their record to 14-15-1. Heading into the third period, Edmonton was down 3-2 after blowing an early 2-0 lead, but after just a minute and nine seconds (or 69 seconds to be exact), the Oilers jumped out to a 5-3 lead and never looked back.
Let’s take a look at the Oilersnation’s Player of the Game, as well as things worth mentioning.
THE WRAP UP IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Oilersnation’s Player of the Game: Ryan McLeod
There was a point not too long ago where some wanted Ryan McLeod traded because he didn’t score a goal in 38 games dating back to last season. Heck, I even wrote an article highlighting the numerous times the Oilers made that mistake.
Well, on Thursday, he scored another goal within the first 30 seconds before adding Edmonton’s sixth goal of the game. In the past nine games, McLeod has four goals.
His first goal came on a nice feed by Sam Gagner, as McLeod was all alone in front of the net. McLeod’s second goal came on a New Jersey turnover, where he just waited out the Devils netminder and slotted it in for the final goal on the night.
Let’s hope he can keep getting on the scoresheet, because the Oilers can use this depth scoring.
Things worth mentioning:
Adam Erne scored his first goal as an Edmonton Oiler despite not being in the Oilers lineup in nearly a month. It’s a poor look on Connor Brown, who was a healthy scratch this game, for his replacement to score a goal before him.
Sam Gagner picked up two assists, one on McLeod’s first goal, as well as another on Erne’s goal. Despite only playing 18 games this season, Gagner has four goals and nine points, and was also friendly fired by an errant Vincent Desharnais stick.
Mattias Ekholm also picked up two assists, giving him four goals and 13 points in 29 games. He missed all of the preseason with an injury, but it’s nice to see him get up to speed and be the defenceman the Oilers paid heavily for at the trade deadline last season.
Connor McDavid picked up another two points on Thursday, one on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ eighth goal of the season, while also scoring his own for his 12th goal of the season. It was a slow start for McDavid, but he now has 43 points in 28 games.
The other goalscorers were Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl, who scored his 14th of the season. The Oilers got away from the Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, and Zach Hyman line during their losing streak, but they were back with a vengeance on Thursday.
Edmonton will play their first back-to-back on Friday, as they’ll be hosted by the New York Rangers. As of writing this, Edmonton has 29 points and sit behind Minnesota, Seattle, Calgary, St. Louis, and Arizona. They are four points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand against Arizona.
If you enjoy my content, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.
Recent articles from Ryley Delaney
