GDB 33.0 Wrap Up: Oilers @ Blackhawks

8 years ago

WE’RE GOING STREAKING! Wait… final Score: 4-0 Blackhawks

Do you ever look at the Chicago Blackhawks and imagine what could be for our beloved Oilers if only they can add a few of the right pieces? I catch myself doing it sometimes. It’s a pleasant little hallucination. Unfortunately, when I look at the Oilers it’s hard to ignore the fact that there are no Duncan Keiths and there are no Brent Seabrooks anchoring the roster… at least not yet. Can Darryl and Klefbom turn into those guys? Maybe someday, but there is still a tonne of work to put in to become players like the two from Chicago. Do we have talented forwards? Absolutely. But what about the supporting cast?

I guess what I’m saying is, when it comes to the Oilers it’s hard not to see the potential of what they could be, but it’s also hard not to see the holes. Although the Oilers have been playing a tighter team game they still make too many mistakes. Whether we’re talking about blind passes to no one or misplays with the puck, Chicago feasted on turnovers and were essentially gifted bonus time in the attacking zone as a result. The Blackhawks didn’t give the Oilers anything, and when the cards were all on the table Chicago’s ability to minimize their mistakes and capitalize on their chances wound up being the difference.

At the end of the day, the Oilers were outclassed by a far better hockey team. The Oilers were often unable to make simple plays which result in Chicago maintaining zone pressure, and producing some grade “A” chances. To put it another way, the Oilers made far too many mistake and they paid for it. To make matters worse the Oilers, once again, made Corey Crawford look like the second coming of Patrick Roy. Despite producing 30+ shots, many of them came from the perimeter, or without any traffic, and were easily turned away. I guess all that potential that I was daydreaming about will have to wait for another day.

We wrap

THE BRIGHT SIDE

We’re one day closer to McDavid!
Shout out to Matt Hendricks, Anton Lander, and Lauri Korpikoski for being the only three Oilers that weren’t in the minus column tonight. Yay?
Cam Talbot was solid tonight, and kept the Oilers in this game for far longer than they deserved to be. I realize that he let in four goals, but it’s not like he had much help in front of him. Even though Talbot held the Oilers in this game for longer than they should have been he’ll still take daggers in the comments section. Talbot finished the night with 37 saves and an .892 save%.
Darnell Nurse played a lot of solid hockey tonight. He lead the team in minutes played with 23:26. I love how Darryl is playing lately but you can’t tell me that he wouldn’t benefit with some easier minutes.
Khaira > Klinkhammer
The penalty kill was 2/2 on the night.
At least it was fun to watch the refs fall down, right? RIGHT?!
The Nation Christmas party is happening tomorrow and I’m looking forward to that.

THE FACE PALMERS

The Oilers did not have a good start in this hockey game. While they were able to get some shots, and produce a few chances, the Blackhawks ran the show.
How many of the 33 Oilers shots came from the perimeter or were completely unscreened? I’m guessing a lot of them.
I’m not sure if there’s anything scarier than a Jultz/Nikitin defensive pairing.
Is it at all a surprise that Jonathan Toews broke out of his slump against the Oilers? No? Anyone? *fart sound* There is no better slump buster than the Edmonton Oilers. Toews had three points tonight.
How did the Blackhawks play a full 60 minutes without getting a single penalty? It’s endlessly frustrating when veteran teams get veteran calls from the refs. Lame.
Darnell Nurse got pickpocketed on an attempted outlet pass which led to the Teravainen goal. As Nurse gains more experience he won’t be making those kind of mistakes, but tonight he got caught and punished for it.
Jultz finally scored! It was for the wrong team, but he finally got one.
Too much Chelsea Dagger. Far too much Chelsea Dagger.
It’s hard to win a hockey game when you don’t score a goal.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD
14:00	CHI	Jonathan Toews (10) Snap shot – ASST: Marian Hossa (9), Teuvo Teravainen (8)	1 – 0 CHI
2ND PERIOD
12:29	CHI	Teuvo Teravainen (7) Snap shot – ASST: Jonathan Toews (9), Marian Hossa (10)	2 – 0 CHI
3RD PERIOD
16:42	CHI	Teuvo Teravainen (8) Backhand shot – ASST: Marian Hossa (11), Jonathan Toews (10)	3 – 0 CHI
18:35	CHI	Artemi Panarin (10) Wrist shot – ASST: Brent Seabrook (16), Patrick Kane (28)	4 – 0 CHI

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