Instant Reaction: Edmonton Oilers douse Flames 4-2 in fiesty affair
3 months ago
Ladies and gentlemen, with a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers now control their own destiny when it comes to winning the Pacific Division crown, as the Vancouver Canucks fell 6-3 to the Los Angeles Kings.
This was sadly the final game in the Battle of Alberta this season, with the Oilers winning three of the four games. Let’s take a look at what happened, shall we?
Before any team even scored, things got chippy as Calgary Flames defenceman Brayden Pachal pushed Zach Hyman into Jacob Markström. The netminder gave Hyman a shove, but they seemed to be laughing it off as the second period ended.
The Oilers scored the first goal of the game late in the first period, as Draisaitl scored his 40th goal of the season on the power play from, you guessed it, his office in the faceoff dot. This was his fifth career 40-goal season, and he was just the third Oiler in history to do that.
Remember when Connor Brown didn’t score a goal in upwards of 50+ games? Well, he scored goal number four in the second period, as Derek Ryan lost the puck and Brown was the recipient of a loose puck. If he can get going, watch out.
Evander Kane took a horrendous slashing penalty, and 11 seconds in, Yegor Sharangovich scored to draw the Flames within one goal. Just an undisciplined penalty, and it wasn’t the only one the Oilers took.
On a power player, Hyman took a 90 mph slap shot to just above the ankle. While he was down for a while, he skated to the bench on his own and didn’t miss a shift.
In that shift, Draisaitl made a terrific pass to Connor McDavid, who had a two-on-one with Hyman. Unfortunately, they passed it too many times and blew their chance to make the game 3-1. If McDavid wasn’t chasing 100 points, this puck had to be in the back of the net.
More chippiness, as Jonathan Huberdeau took one too many pokes on a covered puck, Mattias Ekholm took exception, and a scrum ensued. Kane, Corey Perry, Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard were the others involved.
Shortly after the scrum died down, the camera cut to Perry yelling at Kane on the bench, likely because of a turnover that happened earlier on the shift. As you may recall, this wasn’t the first time that Kane has been yelled at on the bench, as he and Draisaitl had a dust up earlier this season.
The Oilers were back on the penalty kill, and the Flames once again capitalized as Nazem Kadri was netfront and got a stick on the puck. Nothing much Calvin Pickard could have done about this one.
The Oilers regained the lead back on a power play of their own, as Bouchard scored his 17th goal of the season on a big slap shot that did not hit Hyman in front of the net this time. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins later added an empty net goal to seal this game.
Another undisciplined penalty was called on Draisaitl, as he slashed Rasmus Andersson in the back of the leg, with the defenceman appearing to grab the wrong leg, at least with the camera angle. Thankfully, this penalty didn’t come back to haunt them.
Bonus clip: Here’s Perry telling the Flames that they are so bad.
Things worth mentioning…
Connor McDavid picked up assists 98 and 99, meaning he is just one shy of doing what only three other players have done in the history of the sport. Furthermore, he now has 130 points for the second consecutive season, which has also been done by only six other players. In terms of the Art Ross race, he is six points behind Nikita Kucherov for the lead.
Calvin Pickard didn’t get enough credit from some (including myself) when he was called up, but he’s been nothing short of a good netminder for the Oilers, except for the Dallas game where he really had no chance on the five goals. He’ll get a nice payday and will be a regular next season, but probably not for the Oilers.
With a Vancouver Canucks loss, the Oilers now control their own fate for the Pacific Division crown. They have a game in hand on the leaders and will have a date with them next Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. What a game that’ll be.
Up next: Sadly, the run of a game every other day (or the next day, in this case) has come to an end, as the Oilers won’t play again until next Wednesday. The game could be a preview of a first-round matchup, as they’ll host the Vegas Golden Knights at 6:30 PM MT. Afterwards, they’ll host the Arizona Coyotes, the Canucks, and the San Jose Sharks, before a back to back on the road against the Arizona Coyotes and the Colorado Avalanche. Buckle in.
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