GDB 52.0 Wrap Up: We’ll always have the second period, Oilers lose 5-2
By baggedmilk
6 years agoCan we go back to Monday’s game against Tampa? Final Score: 5-2 Kings
The last time these two teams met, the Oilers dropped a turd on the ice and allowed the Kings to walk all over them. There was very little fight coming out of our boys in orange, they looked disinterested, and the result was one of the worst games of the season. At the time, the Oilers had just come off a 5-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on New Year’s Eve and, though they were given an opportunity to redeem themselves, they somehow played even worse against the Kings. That game was every shade of ugly. Needless to say, if revenge was on the agenda for tonight’s game then the Oilers were going to need another effort like we saw against the Lightning. Unfortunately, the rollercoaster of inconsistency continues for the Edmonton Oilers.
After the Kings opened the scoring just over a minute into the game, I was waiting to see how the Oilers would respond. Would they lay down and die or would they scratch and claw their way back into the game? I know I don’t have to tell you, but things didn’t look good after they finished the first period with only three shots on goal (to be fair the Kings had six). Expectations were low. It was almost confusing when the Oilers cranked up the intensity after allowing a second earlier period goal and came out flying for the rest of the second period. It was another round of the fanbase being confused about what to expect from this hockey team. Unfortunately, that second period was where the fun stopped. Battling back from a two-goal deficit is always impressive, but it’s not a great strategy if you plan on winning hockey games.
The Oilers did get better as the game went on, but not being ready to start periods has repeatedly shot them in the foot. I also know that the empty net goals make this score look worse than it was, but a loss is a loss regardless of how you got there.
The wrap.
THE BRIGHT SIDE
- Leon Draisaitl got the Oilers on the board with a much needed power play goal only minutes after the Kings had extended their lead to two. Draisaitl ripped a wrister past Kuemper from the high slot which ended his shutout streak and gave the Oilers power play goals in back-to-back games. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to say that.
- Connor McDavid tied the game up at two goals apiece after driving wide on Drew Doughty and snapping a quick wrister past Kuemper for his 22nd goal of the season. McDaddy extended his point streak to four games (10 points over that span) as he added another goal and an assist to his total as he continues his ascent up the NHL leaderboard.
- Darnell Nurse was all over the ice tonight, and I mean that in the best way. He did a really nice job of picking his spots to jump into the play, was sound defensively, and he likely deserved some points on the board to go along with how well he played. Darryl finished the night with 22.57 TOI, three shots on goal, three blocks, and an unlucky crossbar.
- Jujhar Khaira absolutey beat the hell out of Christian Folin late in the first period. Folin got a shot in on Puljujarvi that JJ didn’t like and he pumped the King’s face full of fist kisses, rearranging his face in the process. Check the scrap out again on Khaira’s fight page over at HockeyFights.com.
- The Oilers ended up scoring another power play goal (they were 1/3 on the night) and it gave them back-to-back games where their man advantage was a positive contributor.
- At least the Oilers went 63% in the faceoff circle? Right? RIGHT?!
THE FACE PALMERS
- Kyle Clifford opened the scoring only 1:10 into the first period after Trevor Lewis cleanly won a draw in the Oilers zone. Needless to say, that kind of start is less than ideal. It was the ninth time this season that Edmonton has given up a goal on the first shot of the game.
- Adrian Kempe put the Kings up by a pair of goals only 58 seconds into the second period. I’m not sure why the Oilers are seemingly unaware of when the periods start but they aree super into letting goals in early.
- Paul LaDue gave the Kings a late lead in third period after a seeing eye shot found its way past Talbot, killing the Oilers hope of a winning streak.
- Alex Iafallo added an empty net goal after the Oilers could gain possession in the offensive zone and the final nail in the coffin was hammered in.
- Anze Kopitar added a second empty-net goal because why not.
- Milan Lucic doesn’t have a goal in a month and a half. He hasn’t scored since December 23rd, when the Oilers beat Montreal at home. That’s 16 games ago. Not good. He needs to get a greasy one or something… or get traded. Either way.
- After having a really nice start against the Lightning, Cam Talbot had an up and down night that saw him allowing early goals in the first two periods that ended up being the killers. It’s not that all three goals were necessarily bad, it was just that the timing of all of them was completely deflating. Talbot finished the night with 23 saves and a .885 save%.
- I’m not a +/- guy but I think it’s worth noting when Oscar Klefbom is a dash four. At least he’ll make the green jacket look good.
- I hate 8:30pm starts. I don’t have kids so I don’t need to put any humans to sleep so all an 8:30 start gives me is more time to get bored and inevitably start drinking.
- The Oilers haven’t won a single challenge in their last 16 which is absolutely ridiculous. I’m pretty sure my math is right on this.
- There is nothing positive about doing a #BeetCast but it’s even worse when I have to do one just before midnight. I know that when I go to bed tonight that my stomach will be rolling and it’s going to be horrible. As always, join in on the conversation and shame over on my Twitter.
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
| TIME | TEAM | DETAILS | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01:10 | Los Angeles | Kyle Clifford (2) ASST: Trevor Lewis (10) | 0-1 |
2ND PERIOD
| TIME | TEAM | DETAILS | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:58 | Los Angeles | Adrian Kempe (16) ASST: Drew Doughty (30) | 0-2 |
| 03:28 | Edmonton | PPG – Leon Draisaitl (14) ASST: Connor McDavid (41), Oscar Klefbom (10) | 1-2 |
| 10:20 | Edmonton | Connor McDavid (22) ASST: Michael Cammalleri (13) | 2-2 |
3RD PERIOD
| TIME | TEAM | DETAILS | SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14:33 | Los Angeles | PPG – Paul LaDue (2) ASST: Trevor Lewis (11), Kevin Gravel (3) | 2-3 |
| 18:17 | Los Angeles | EN – Alex Iafallo (6) ASST: Anze Kopitar (36), Drew Doughty (31) | 2-4 |
| 19:00 | Los Angeles | EN – Anze Kopitar (21) | 2-5 |
#GOODCONTENT
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Source: NHL, Official Game Page, 02/07/2018 – 11:30pm MST
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