The Olympic break is over, and it’s crunch time for the Edmonton Oilers.

On Wednesday evening, the Oilers returned for the first time since February 4th, falling 6-5 to the Anaheim Ducks in what was an entertaining, albeit winnable, game. Let’s take a look at what happened in this one.

The Oilers came out of the gate ready to go. With the line of Leon Draisaitl, Matthew Savoie, and Jack Roslovic starting the game, Savoie made a nice stretch pass to Roslovic, who was behind the Ducks’ defence. Just 13 seconds in, the Oilers took the lead thanks to a quick shot past Lukáš Dostál.

Midway through the second period, the Oilers extended their lead to two. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins stole the puck before the Ducks could clear, but his slot shot missed the net. Savoie retrieved the puck, got it to Connor McDavid, and McDavid found the longest tenured Oilers at the side of the net for his 14th of the season.

Less than two minutes later, the Ducks cut the Oilers lead in half, as a slapshot from the half boards found its way past Tristan Jarry to make it 2-1. The Oilers entered the second period up a goal and on the power play, but as that power play ended, Roslovic took a penalty. Midway through the power play, just over three minutes into the middle frame, Alex Killorn banged in the rebound to tie the game at two.

With just over a minute to play in the second period, the Oilers restored their lead. The puck came back to the point, with Evan Bouchard making a d-to-d pass to Mattias Ekholm. Sliding down low, Ekholm made a net-front pass, with Zach Hyman getting a stick on it to give the Oilers a 3-2 lead.

On the ensuing shift, the Oilers got their two goal lead back. Nugent-Hopkins won a puck battle, passed it down low to McDavid for a give and go. Now in the slot, Nugent-Hopkins was able to find a creeping Bouchard for the tap-in and 4-2 lead.

After already coming back from a two goal deficit, the Ducks did it again. Early in the third, they broke into the zone and were able to get a shot in the slot. It was saved, but Jarry kicked out the rebound to the centre of the ice, and the Oilers didn’t do a good enough job to defend Leo Carlsson as he tapped it in.

Less than two minutes later, the Ducks tied the game once again. Owen Zellweger’s shot from the point got past Jarry. Simply put, they needed a save on this one. Late on a power play six minutes into the period, the Oilers restored their lead, as Savoie pounced on a rebound to make it 5-4.

The Oilers were able to close it out from there playing sound defensive hockey. I’m just kidding, because less than a minute later, Beckett Sennecke got the zone entry, then toe dragged into a shot to chase Jarry from the net on what should’ve been a save, even with the screen.

With just 74 seconds left on the clock, the Ducks broke the deadlock thanks to a strong forecheck. Cutter Gauthier was standing undefender on the doorstep. It was an easy tap in to take the lead, one they never relinquished.

At some point, the Oilers need a save. Tristan Jarry faced 24 shots, allowing five goals for a .792 save percentage. If the Oilers get goaltending like this in the playoffs (if they make it), it’s going to be a very short post-season run in Connor McDavid’s 11th season.

Coming into this game, Connor McDavid needed just three point to become the first player to reach 100 points this season. Unfortunately, he fell just shy of reaching the 100th point mark for the ninth time in his career. He took a rough tumble on a scoring opportunity in the third, but looked no worse for wear.

McDavid needed three points to reach the triple-digit mark for the ninth time in his career, something he does quite often. Well, Matthew Savoie picked up his first three point game, picking up two assists in the first period and his 10th goal in the third. That reset to the American Hockey League has seemingly helped him, as he was the Oilers’ best player in the game.

With Kasperi Kapanen out of the lineup and Adam Henrique back in the lineup, the Oilers blended the lines. Savoie and Roslovic played along Leon Draisaitl, while Vasily Podkolzin joined Henrique and Trent Frederic on the third line. The second line had a good game, and the third line was fine.

Darnell Nurse had a horrendous game. Time for him to sit in the press box.

Andrew Mangiapane is still with the team, and he was noticeable in this game, as he was fiesty and in the middle of a few scrums. He nearly scored in the third period, receiving a great pass from Trent Frederic when it was tied at five, what a useful goal that would’ve been.

In fact, this game had numerous scrums, which made the game pretty interesting (on top of the plethroa of scoring). It’s nice to see the Oilers show some fight against a team who they could be playing in the first round. Still should’ve been a win, though.

The Oilers will be back in action on Thursday with another late Californian game, making the short bus trip to Los Angeles to play the Kings at 8:30 PM ET.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 28th and join us at the Matrix Hotel for Brunch for Ben!

We’re serving up breakfast with a side of hockey on the big screens, mini-putt showdowns, crafts, prizes, giveaways, and plenty more fun.

Cheer on Edmonton. Sink a putt. Win some prizes.

Most importantly? Support an incredible cause — the Ben Stelter Foundation.

Eat breakfast. Have a blast. Make a difference.

Grab your tickets now at Nationgear.ca and we’ll see you at Brunch for Ben!