GDB 78.0 Wrap Up: OT Win and First Place in the Pacific

7 years ago

That’s what first place in April looks like. Final Score: 3-2 Oilers

When the season started would you have imagined that the Oilers would be battling for the division lead this late in the season? And it’s not even a bad April Fools Day joke! Its’s amazing. If the Oilers could’ve found a way to beat the Ducks in regulation it would have given them sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division but they still get the tie breaker because of ROW (Regulation and Overtime Wins) Right from the jump, Edmonton looked like they wanted this win. They had a great start with plenty of scoring chances, and the Ducks were lucky to get out of the period down only one goal. That said, Edmonton was generous with some prime scoring chances in their own right and had it not been for Cam Talbot they could have also found themselves down early.

As the game progressed and the Oilers continued to pour on shots at the net, you could sense the tension building on the ice and in the crowd. With first place on the line, every mistake seemed amplified and the stress from these late season games are a feeling that we haven’t felt in a long time. With the game tied headed into the third period, it felt like a ‘show-me’ moment for the Oilers as they looked to close out a big home game against a potential playoff opponent. Not only did they do that, they actually had to come back from behind before being able to close it out. That’s no small feat. As far as character wins go during the 2016-17 season, this one has to be near the top of the list. This was a huge win.

The Oilers crawled out of a third period deficit to beat a division rival, they extended their winning streak to five games, and they’ll wake up tomorrow atop of the Pacific Division. Is this real life?

The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

Who else would you expect to open the scoring at this point other than Connor McDavid with his 29th goal of the season that extended his point streak to 10 games with another three point night. The kid should win the Hart, he’s going to win the Art Ross, he’s must see TV, and Connor McDavid is literally my whole world right now.
- How about the little dangle by Patty Maroon before feeding the puck out from to McDavid
Milan Lucic scored a huge power play goal (his 19th) late in the third period to tie the game up at two goals apiece. Up until then, the power play hadn’t been great but it came through in a big way right at the perfect moment.
Leon Draisaitl scored the OT winner off of a beautiful setup by Connor McDavid. Connor set Leon up on a tee and Big Sexy made no mistake of smashing it home.
Both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl extended their point streaks to 10 games tonight. Did they just become best friends? YUP!
Cam Talbot made some huge saves tonight and he gave his team the best chance to win that he could. After years of being unsure whether or not the goalie would stop the puck it’s sure nice to have Dadbot locking the net down on a consistent basis and he’s been doing that all year. Talbot was solid and made some huge saves despite what the .889 save% would have you believe.
The power play missed three big chances to score in the first two periods and the game could have been over early, but they got one when they needed it most. The PP finished 1/4 on the night.
Andrej Sekera has been great all season and he was quietly solid again tonight. Sekera is really good at picking his spots to jump into the play and it usually ends up being productive. He deserves more credit.
Shout out to Ryan Kesler for missing a wide open net and hitting the crossbar in the third period. That was really cool of him to do for us.
Outshot the Ducks 37-18 and deserved to win this hockey game.
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THE FACE PALMERS

Honestly, I’m not even mad about Ryan Getzlaf’s goal. He ripped a clapper from the point and he put it in the absolutely perfect spot. When you add the screen in front of Talbot I don’t know what else he could have done to stop it.
Bieksa going yard sale at least once per game is a movie that we’ve come to expect over the years and he didn’t disappoint tonight.
The penalty kill couldn’t get the job done as they allowed goals on both******** of the Ducks’ attempts.
John Gibson had the horseshoe lodged between his cheeks as he was getting all kinds of luck with bounces tonight.
It was annoying how many shots the Ducks were able to block (30) tonight. Edmonton had some good chances that ended up being blocked and it had happened way too much for my liking.
The Oilers need more from Nuge and Eberle if they’re going to make some noise in the playoffs. This team is relying too much on the McDavid line and that’s not a great blueprint for long term success.
I need to figure out a way to find a sponsor for my ref complaints. I’ve made so many bullet points about the refs being garbage for both teams that I should probably find a way to monetize it. Mercy.
42% in the faceoff circle tonight. Didn’t matter. Still need to get better.

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
19:11	EDM	Connor McDavid (29) ASST: Patrick Maroon (15), Adam Larsson (14)	0-1

2ND PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
03:27	ANA	PPG – Ryan Getzlaf (15) ASST: Jakob Silfverberg (24), Cam Fowler (27)	1-1

3RD PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
08:53	ANA	PPG – Patrick Eaves (29) ASST: Antoine Vermette (18), Jakob Silfverberg (25)	2-1
18:02	EDM	PPG – Milan Lucic (19) ASST: Leon Draisaitl (46), Connor McDavid (64)	2-2

OT PERIOD

TIME	TEAM	DETAILS	SCORE
01:26	EDM	Leon Draisaitl (28) ASST: Connor McDavid (65)	2-3

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THE #RIPDOD PARTY

As if you didn’t already know, the Decade of Darkness party will be happening at the Pint Downtown on Saturday, April 8th, with doors opening at 5pm and the hockey game starting at 8pm. Aside from making sure we’re all well hydrated, we’ve got the usual swag bags planned along with raffles, giveaways, and more.

Your $30 ticket gets you:

Limited Edition Violent Gentlemen/Oilersnation hat for the first 90 through the door
Limited Edition Violent Gentlemen/Oilersnation collaboration shirt for everyone else
Limited Edition Decade of Darkness collector’s cup
Gift cards from Oodle Noodle, the Pint, Jiffy Lube, United Cycle and more
Access to the Decade of Darkness NationGear pop-up shop
A chance at the 10 days of Clinchmas giveaways.

You’ve all suffered more than enough throughout the 10 years of darkness, and now we want to reward you for your loyalty with the 10 days of Clinchmas. Each day until the event we’ll be adding new prizes that will be available to win with the raffle ticket you’ll be given at the door. Get tickets while you can.

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