Despite some tough luck on the injury front, the Edmonton Oilers managed a point against one of the league’s best teams.
On Thursday, the Oilers hosted the Winnipeg Jets, the first time the two teams played against one another since the season-opener back in October. Though things were much closer this time around, the home side still fell 4-3 in overtime in what was a gutsy performance. Let’s take a look at what happened in this game. Things started off well for the Oilers. Just over five minutes into the first period, Jeff Skinner led a rush chance and ripped it by Connor Hellebuyck for the 1-0 lead.
With 6:21 left in the first period, Stuart Skinner stopped the initial shot off the Jets rush, but the round went to Cole Perfetti, who was all alone on the side of the net to tie up the game.
Edmonton retook the lead just over five minutes into the second period, as Connor McDavid circled the net and tried to centre it. Jeff Skinner got a touch on it, beating Hellebuyck five-hole for his second of the game.
The Jets once again had an answer. After the Jets penalty ended (as they challenged the Oilers’ second goal), they had a 2-on-1, with Nino Niederreiter saucing it over to Josh Morrissey who tipped it past Stuart Skinner to tie the game.
Fast forward to the third period. About four minutes in, there was a scramble around Stuart Skinner and eventually Brandon Tanev banged in the loose puck to take the lead.
It was the Oilers’ turn to find an answer. With just under six minutes left in the third period, Zach Hyman tipped a shot from the point not allowing Hellebuyck to field it cleanly. He banged in his own rebound to tie the game up at three.
Just over a minute into the extra frame, Kyle Connor snapped a shot past Calvin Pickard to win it for the Western Conference-leading team.
Takeaways
Let’s start with the good. Without Leon Draisaitl to start the game and Connor McDavid for the third period, the Oilers were gutsy by picking up a point against one of the best teams in the league. First, they killed off an early 5 on 3 in the third period, then managed to tie the game at three late in the third period, and then killed off a late penalty in regulation to earn a point. Jeff Skinner also had a good game, scoring two goals. It was his first multi-goal game as an Oiler and he and Connor McDavid have formed some chemistry. Another positive was Adam Henrique. He may not have scored this game but he was all around the puck.
Now, the bad. Stuart Skinner saved 13 of 16 shots for an .813 save percentage, much better than his first game against the Jets this season. He was pulled from the game late in the third period as Troy Stecher pushed a Jet (a player, not a plane) into him, hitting his head.
More concerning though is the fact that Connor McDavid didn’t play the entirety of the third period after a slash from Josh Morrissey late in the second period. Without McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in overtime, the team looked lost. If there’s any positive to take away from this, McDavid extended his point streak to 13 games. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious. The Oilers return to action on Saturday at 8:00 PM MT to take on the Seattle Kraken. As of now, the status of McDavid, Draisaitl, and Skinner is unknown. If the Oilers lose any of those players for a significant period, it’ll hurt.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, Flames Nation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
