THE BRIGHT SIDE

Photoshop: @isuckatpicking

• Zack Kassian got the Oilers on the board after he got a breakaway chance and followed up on the puck as his shot went wide but banked off the boards right back to his stick. From there, he had tapped the loose puck into the net for his 5th goal of the season. Kassian got another breakaway a little bit later on in the second period and ended cashing in on that one with a nice little backhand deke that opened up Dell’s five-hole wide enough to slip the puck through. Huge night for Kass.
• Leon Draisaitl tied the game at three goals apiece with a well-timed backhand goal from just above the crease. Draisaitl gathered the loose puck and scored the third straight Oilers goal in a span of 11 minutes as they were able to scratch and claw their way out of a substantial deficit. I’m happy that Todd McLellan stuck with Leon Draisaitl at centre because I am not liking the look of the depth at C with him on the wing and RNH on the shelf.
• Brandon Davidson gave the visitors a temporary as he scored the fourth straight goal for the Oilers, early on in the third period. Davidson made a nice jump into the play and wound up in the right spot at the right time to find a rebound and beat Dell for his third goal of the season.
• How about Mike Cammalleri with a quiet two-point night after being a healthy scratch last night?
• Is there anything weirder than the fact that the Oilers have the top-ranked PK on the road but the worst of all-time at home? Edmonton was perfect when down a man and successfully killed the only chance they faced.
• At least there was no Drew Remenda to gush about all the good things the Sharks were doing.

THE FACE PALMERS

• How many times have the Oilers given up the first goal? 34 times. Now you know.
• For the 10th time this season, the Oilers have allowed a goal on the first shot on net. That means that the Oilers have allowed a goal on the first shot in 18.5% of the games they’ve played so far. Unbelievable. And to make matters worse, the goal belongs to Joakim Ryan who had never scored in the NHL before tonight. What can you say at this point? Were you surprised when Ryan scored the winning goal late in the third period after driving to the net and sliding him the loose puck in the slot? Of course not. Why would you be surprised?
• Barclay Goodrow put the Sharks up by three goals early in the second period after the home side was able to hem the Oilers in their own end and make them look foolish. Not only did Edmonton have no answer for the Sharks but the worst part is that they also look disinterested in keeping the puck out of their own net.
• Darnell Nurse tried to move the puck behind the net but it ended up deflecting off the ref’s skate and hit the cage instead, creating a loose puck at the side of the crease that Joe Pavelski easily put into the back of the net. And for the third straight game on this road trip, the Oilers found themselves down by two goals. Pavelski added an empty netter to put the final nail in the coffin. *farts loudly*
• Tomas Hertl tied the game up at four which stopped the bleeding for the Sharks after the Oilers went on a four-goal run. Hertl’s goal came only moments after Brandon Davidson gave the Oilers their only lead of the of the night.
• The Oilers went 0/3 on the power play on a night when they really could have used one. Remember how fun it was when they scored PP goals in back-to-back games? Yeah, that was cool.
• Al Montoya hasn’t played since February 1st and I was interested to see what life was like with a veteran backup goalie taking over for the night. Unfortunately, he did not have a good night as he allowed five goals on 29 shots, giving him an .828 save%.
• Make it 18 games without a goal for Milan Lucic and gave up the puck on the game winning goal. Banner night for Sargeant Swagger.
• The Oilers got killed in the faceoff circle, winning only 41% of the draws they took.
• Doing a third #BeetCast in four nights… why not? Apparently, Oilers fans can’t suffer enough. 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.