The Day After 69.0: Oilers running out of time to climb standings after back-to-back losses
By Cam Lewis
4 months agoThat certainly wasn’t the weekend the Edmonton Oilers were looking for.
After being outclassed in Toronto by the Maple Leafs, the Oilers had a prime opportunity to get back into the win column against the Ottawa Senators, a team they’ve dominated over the past few years.
Both teams scored goals in the first period and the Oilers pulled ahead with a pair of power-play goals early in the second frame. The second of those two power-play goals by Edmonton was Zach Hyman’s 50th goal of the season.
The Oilers appeared poised to cruise to another easy win over Ottawa but the Sens battled back. Tim Stutzle snuck into Edmonton’s zone with time and space and sniped a shot blocker side on Calvin Pickard. Vincent Desharnais was called for a questionable interference penalty and Drake Batherson tied the game on the ensuing power play.
The two teams remained tied at 3-3 until the final few minutes of the third period. Mattias Ekholm was called for holding and the Sens were again able to capitalize to take the lead. Ottawa then added an empty-net goal to seal the deal on a 5-3 victory.
With the back-to-back losses this weekend, the Oilers are now 42-23-4 on the season, 10 points back of the Vancouver Canucks with only two games in hand. Edmonton will face Vancouver in one more crucial four-point game before the end of the regular season but the idea of the Oilers winning the Pacific Division is looking much less likely today than it did a few days ago.
What they said…
Head coach Kris Knoblauch on the Oilers blowing a lead…
“It’s disappointing that we didn’t come up with two points. I thought we had a lot of good opportunities, especially when we were up 3-1, and things were looking good. But we made a mistake at 3-2 and then, they were back in it when it looked like they were out of it. Special teams was obviously a big part of this game.”
Connor McDavid on the Senators capitalizing on mistakes by the Oilers…
“I thought they got timely scoring. We felt like we were the better team and had the better chances. We had the puck most of the night, but ultimately, they’re a skilled team. They capitalize on mistakes, and they did that tonight.”
Zach Hyman on scoring 50 goals in a season for the first time in his career…
“It was special. Leon was right next to me and I just saw the excitement on his face. He knows how hard it is to get there, and for him to be on the ice with Connor — two 50-goal scorers — and then I got to the bench. Perry gave me a big hug and welcomed me to the club too, which was just special.“To have teammates that care that much about you, to share your milestones and your successes, it’s what the game’s all about. It’s a family in here. Everybody cares about each other.”
Sens defender Jakob Chychrun on his team finding a way to win…
“Not a lot of O-zone time in the third that’s for sure. The boys did a heck of a job of sticking with it and finding a way. We talk about it all the time. We feel like we’ve had games this year where we play really well and have a lot of chances and out-chance the other team and don’t get the result we want and it’s kind of the opposite tonight.“They out-chanced us and we had a goalie that was standing on his head for us and we’re able to find a way at the end, so it’s nice to come out on top of this one.”
THE DAY AFTER IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY
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