THE BRIGHT SIDE

• Huge props to Cam Talbot for keeping the Oilers in this hockey game, especially early on. The team was in full on hibernation mode for the first 12 minutes and the only reason things didn’t get out of hand was because of Dadbot. He was great all game long and for that I thank him. Talbot finished the night with 32 saves and a .941 save%.
• Anton Slepyshev scored his first goal of the year with a beautiful snipe over Corey Schneider. The Oilers needed Slepyshev to get on the board and he couldn’t have done it at a better moment.
• Milan Lucic got his third goal of the year after making the smart play on a 2-on-1 and shooting the puck. The big fella ripped the puck through Schneider’s five-hole to tie the game up after the Devils reclaimed their lead late in the second period.
• Connor and Leon are like magic on ice when it comes to the 3-on-3 overtimes. The pair closed things out against the Islanders on Tuesday night, and they came back for an encore tonight against the Devils as Draisaitl ended an intense overtime period.
• Nuge was really good again tonight. He was all over the puck, made some really nice reads defensively, and walked away with two assists on the board for his efforts. The Year of Nuge continues.
• Matt Benning and Oscar Klefbom had a better night tonight and looked much more composed than they have been. Each guy played more than 20 minutes (Klefbom over 25 mins) and did a nice job weathering the barrages they faced.
• Shout out to Brad Malone for making an impact since being recalled. He may not play that many minutes but he’s noticeable when he’s out there and is pretty much doing what we all thought JJ Khaira would do.
• The Oilers were perfect on the penalty kill tonight and they needed it because they gave the Devils too many chances. Credit when credit is due. The PK was rock solid, with Talbot leading the charge.
• Once again, the Oilers won more faceoffs than they lost as they finished the night at 53% on the dot.
• It’s almost amazing that the shots only finished at 34-32 for the Devils considering the Oilers didn’t get one for the first 12 minutes of the game.

THE FACE PALMERS

• Apparently, it doesn’t matter when players are laying on Cam Talbot in his crease because the refs didn’t seem to mind it on Brian Boyle’s first-period goal. I was sure that Todd McLellan was going to challenge that one but he didn’t.
• Drew Stafford was able to walk through the defence with little to no pushback on his goal that came with under two minutes left in the second period. He caught a few people standing still and walked around Talbot for a really tough one to swallow at the end of the period.
• Anton Slepyshev scored a nice goal tonight but had to leave the game in the third period because of a groin injury.
• I swear that the Oilers didn’t hit more than 10 passes to each other in the first period. Even worse was the fact that they didn’t get a shot on net until well past the midway point of the opening frame. Needless to say, their overall puck management (and effort) was atrocious.
• The Oilers gave the Devils way too many power play chances tonight. They were sloppy with their sticks and kept getting called for avoidable trips and high sticks. Need to lock it up, boys.
• I feel like it’s Groundhog’s Day. How many times can the power play let the team down before they try something new? This game could have been a lot different had the power play been able to cash something in.
• There were plenty of weak calls and missed calls for both sides, as per tradition.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT