THE BRIGHT SIDE

• Anton Slepyshev got the Oilers on the board with a beautiful deke that had Gibson guessing, giving the Oilers some life after they found themselves down by two goals. Corey Perry had just scored and Slepyshev responded only 1:58 later. Earlier on in the season, Slepyshev was said to be on the block and I wonder how many teams were watching him tonight. What’s the return here? Mid-round pick?
• Kris Russell had himself a rollercoaster of a game. He was temporarily taken off the ice after blocking a shot, was responsible for the blown clearout on the Corey Perry goal, redeemed himself with more timely blocks, and, after all that, he got himself a goal after jumping into the play and finishing on a perfect pass from McDavid. Gotta love pro sports.
• Connor McDavid continued his point streak after setting up Kris Russell beautifully with a saucer pass into the slot. The Oilers may not make the playoffs but I still want Connor to win the scoring title. He can do it and I wouldn’t bet against him.
• If the Oilers were going to win this hockey game then Cam Talbot needed to be ready to play and he needed to do it for 60 minutes. I know I’ll take heat for this but I think he had a decent night. The first goal against bounced in off Sekera and the other two were able to find their way through traffic. There’s no doubt he needs to be better but I wouldn’t say he was to blame for this one. Talbot finished the night with 31 saves and a .912 save%.
• Oscar Klefbom lead the team in minutes played (26:46), had four shots on goal, and was the only defenceman with a positive +/- rating. He was another d-man that did some good things out there.
• Props to Pat Maroon for getting into a solid scrap with Kevin Bieksa in the first period. The Oilers had just dropped a goal and Patty was trying to get the boys fired up and part of the plan was dolling out fist kisses on Bieksa’s face. Have another look at the scrap over on Pat Maroon’s fight page at HockeyFights.com.
• The Oilers killed off both penalties they faced for a perfect evening with the man disadvantage.

THE FACE PALMERS

• Hampus Lindholm opened the scoring after firing a shot through traffic that deflected off Sekera’s skate past Talbot and into the net. Horrible luck for the Oilers on the bounce. At least it wasn’t the first shot on net?
• Corey Perry added the Ducks’ second goal after Kris Russell blindly threw the puck up the middle of the ice right into Ryan Getzlaf who quickly moved it to a wide open Perry. Ugly goal.
• Ryan Kesler restored the Ducks two-goal lead early on in the third period after his shot found its way through a few bodies and past Talbot. Not only did Sportsnet force us to watch collapse highlights from the playoffs, we also had to watch Ryan Kesler contribute on the scoresheet. *spits*
• I know the NHL site has the giveaways at 14 for the Oilers but I don’t buy that whatsoever. They were turning the puck over like it was a delicious grilled cheese.
• Both Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell went down with puck-related problems in the first period. Sekera took a deflected puck in the face and Russell got hit in a bad spot and struggled to get himself off the ice. Horrible luck for both guys, but even worse for Sekera as he did not return from his injury. Maybe Sekera should sit out all future games in Anaheim?
• Drake Caggiula also left the game after he left the ice with blood pouring from his face. There wasn’t much update on him aside from him being questionable for tomorrow’s game.
• I guess getting a power play goal in three straight games was too much to ask. The Oilers finished the night at 0/3 on the man “advantage.”
• Make it 17 scoreless games for Milan Lucic.
• Sportsnet showing the three-goal collapse from the playoffs during the first intermission was cruel and uncalled for. I hate you, Sportsnet.
• This was the first time I ever had to do a #BeetCast because of the Anaheim Ducks. This could be rock bottom. As always, you can follow along over on my Twitter.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

THE NATION ROAD TRIP TO CALGARY

Photoshop: @isuckatpicking

• When? Leaving March 31st and returning April 1st, 2018. We’ll be leaving Edmonton at 11:30 am on Saturday morning.
• How much? The cost will depend on how many people are in your crew. To put it another way, we’ve got a range of options including single occupancy ($319/person) up to groups of four ($239/person).
• Why? Because we love to party
• Where do you buy tickets? Right here, friend. But be warned, this will sell out quickly and you procrastination will not be kind if you plan on coming.