GDB 46.0 Wrap Up: Historic winning streak comes to an end as Oilers dropped by Golden Knights
5 months ago
For the first time in well over a month, the Edmonton Oilers lost a hockey game.
Just like in the playoffs last spring, it was the Vegas Golden Knights who stood in the way. The defending Stanley Cup Champions won by a score of 3-1, ending Edmonton’s winning streak at 16 games, one shy of matching the league’s all-time record.
It was the team’s first loss since they opened a three-game road trip right before the Christmas break with a 3-1 loss to the New York Islanders. The season series between Edmonton and Vegas is now tied at one win each, with both teams winning at home and the third and final meeting of the regular season coming in April.
Let’s go through the Player of the Game and some other things worth mentioning.
WRAP UP IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Oilersnation’s Player of the Game: Connor McDavid
The Oilers only scored one goal, and of course came from captain Connor McDavid.
After Dylan Holloway took a high-sticking penalty, and with all but five seconds left in the kill, coach Kris Knoblauch paired McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and it paid off. The two generational talents ended up on a two-on-none, with McDavid finishing on the play.
For the season, McDavid has 21 goals and 68 points in 43 games. He is tied for second in points with J.T. Miller and sits 17 points behind the leaders Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon.
Things worth mentioning:
Stuart Skinner saved 23 shots on 25 Vegas attempts for a .920 save percentage. This was his lowest save percentage since the first game in the streak when he had a .912 save percentage against the New York Rangers. Still, he made some big saves and kept the team in it.
The streak may be over, but this game proves that Edmonton still needs help at the deadline. Vegas is a battle-tested team with a great goaltender in Adin Hill. They’ll either need to improve offensively to take Vegas down (Jake Guentzel, please) or find an upgrade on defence.
Vincent Desharnais made a great play at the line to start the two-on-none and picked up his seventh point of the season. This season, the 27-year-old has a goal and seven points in 44 games, setting a new career-high in the point department.
Edmonton will return to action on Friday as they’ll head to the Los Angeles Metropolitan area to take on the Anaheim Ducks. It’ll be the first of many back-to-backs to end the season, as they’ll face off against Los Angeles the following day.
Despite the loss, the Oilers still sit in the third spot in the Pacific, seven points behind the Golden Knights with five games in hand. They’re five points clear of the Nashville Predators, the team that sits on the outside looking in but also has five games in hand.
It’s time to start a new win streak.
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