Everybody knows how much the Edmonton Oilers have struggled in Game 1s over the last handful of years, and bucking the trend didn’t get any easier on Tuesday night when they squared off against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of their second-round series. The good news is that the boys overcame a tough start (again) to close out a not-always-pretty 4-2 win on the road to open the series.
COREY PERRY… AGAIN
In terms of pro sports, Corey Perry is as old as the days are long, but those hands still work just as well as when he tortured us as a Duck. I know I’ve written about Perry countless times at this point, but what he’s doing at 39 years old (40 in nine days) is simply remarkable. It doesn’t even matter where he’s playing in the lineup, but the guy accepts the challenge and goes out and competes as hard as anyone else on the ice. Even with only 13:25 in TOI that start alongside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Perry still managed to get the Oilers on the board with a nice deke to his forehand, and he also found ways to contribute even when he wasn’t beside the Dynamic Duo.
As he’s done all season, Corey Perry excelled in whatever role the coaching staff handed him, and it’s no surprise to me that he was the one to get the Oilers on the board. All Perry has done all season long is come up with contributions at key moments, and he wrote another chapter in that same story with the opener for Edmonton at 16:26 of the first period. Not only did he get the boys on the board, but he also halved Vegas’ lead and kept the Oilers in the fight, even with avoidable mistakes that put them in that situation in the first place. As cliche as it is to spit out here again, the Worm is turning back the clock, and it’s been so much fun to be on the right side of his antics for once.
OVERCOMING A BAD START
I don’t know what it is about the Oilers’ DNA that forces them into slow starts in the playoffs, but we got another dose of the problem early in Game 1 when the Golden Knights cashed in a pair of goals from Mark Stone. As much as I was impressed that Stone could make it through an entire season without disappearing for cap space, it was undoubtedly annoying to see him open the series with back-to-back goals that put the Oilers in a hole. Sure, the mistakes were Edmonton’s fault, but I still wanted to blame Stone anyway. Even though I want to shit on the guy, he’s pretty damned good at this sport, and he used luck and a skill to find his way onto the scoresheet twice before the first period was even halfway through.
It’s not that the Oilers played poorly to start the game, but they made costly errors that burned them in different but equally painful ways. First, there was the double-minor for high-sticking on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins that resulted in a Mark Stone’s first of the night, but then the boys followed it up with a lacklustre display of defending and goaltending that allowed Stone to tack on a second goal before we even knew what hit us. That’s what makes the comeback even more amazing. As sloppy as our beloved boys looked early in this game, there was no quit from an Edmonton side that started to chip away at the hole they were in shift by shift. Suddenly, the boys wrestled the game back in their favour to not only erase the deficit but grab a late lead that they would not relinquish.
THE GAME 1 CURSE
Reading the GDB from Gregor yesterday, I was stunned when I saw him write that the Oilers were 2-10 in Game 1s during the Connor McDavid era, despite playing more playoff hockey over the last few years than anyone not named the Florida Panthers. Regarding all-time mind-blowing stats, that one ranked right up there when I read it. How could it possibly be true that a team with the two best players on the planet struggle so mightily to kick the series off on the right foot? It’s wild, confusing, and generally baffling how this keeps happening, but Tuesday was another chance to right the ship.
With the Game 1 history living rent-free in our minds, it’s hard to blame Oilers fans for feeling nervous with Game 1 for Round 2 happening Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena. And when our boys gave up a pair of goals before the first period was even half over, the sentiment seemed to compound by the minute. At the same time, dealing with that early adversity made the Oilers strong as the game rolled along. The Oilers were the better team from late in the first period until the final buzzer, and I’m grateful that the boys came up with another dose of resilience needed to close out the win. It was ugly to start, but you have to love the way Edmonton came roaring back. As bad as that start was — again — you have to love the way the Oilers didn’t quit and forced their way into a fifth straight win.
OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING
1. The Oilers held Vegas to one shot on net in the second period, but could not beat Adin Hill despite the laundry list of quality chances they had to get the job done. It was one of those moments when I started to get nervous that their inability to score would come back and bite them, and I honestly think we were fortunate to escape that vortex without penalty yet again. It’s not the first time we’ve seen the Oilers buzz around without being able to score, and I’m grateful to the Gords that they gave us a safe passageway once more.
2. The passes to no one in particular, especially early in the game, drove me nuts. The NHL site listed the Oilers with 14 giveaways, but there’s no way that number is accurate. At least, not according to what I saw from my side of the TV screen. The boys need to do a much better job of making clean passes and puck choices. I’m not saying the Oilers got lucky, but I am saying they need to be better with puck management.
3. Jake Walman made a bunch of solid defensive plays at times when the Oilers needed them, and I think he deserves a major shoutout for his efforts. While a lot of us thought Walman would make his impact on the offensive side of the game — let’s be honest, most of us never watched him play outside of the odd highlight here or there — what he’s doing in Edmonton’s end of the rink deserves some love. Yes, the guy blocks shots like he’s channelling the spirit of Kris Russell, but he also breaks up plays and rushes as well or better than anyone else on Edmonton’s back end.
4. Leon Draisaitl’s game-tying goal wasn’t the prettiest he’ll score in his career, but it was as beautiful as any that he’s scored from my perspective. Edmonton wasn’t getting many friendly bounces to that point in the game, but the Draisaitl bank-shot seemed to change the tide for Edmonton.
5. How about the shot from Zach Hyman on the game winner? Going back to the GDB, Kevin Woodley’s scouting report on Adin Hill recommended to shoot high, and ZMH clearly understood the assignment with the snap he fired over the goalie’s shoulder.
6. I’m not saying Calvin Pickard‘s .882 save percentage was ideal, but as he’s done for five straight games, the guy got the job done.
7. My friend Travis Dakin is one of the biggest Oilers fans you could ever meet, and when I asked him what bothered him most about the Oilers’ 4-2 win, he gave me a straight dose of real talk that lives rent-free in all of our minds. He said the biggest problem was that the Oilers, once again, had a brutal start that put them behind the eight ball. This time, it was the double-minor on RNH that gave Vegas the lane they needed to open the scoring, and while undoubtedly accidental, this veteran Oilers club needs to be more aware than that if they’re going to keep this Cup run going.
8. Vegas is a problem off the rush, as advertised. Edmonton needs to figure out how to limit Vegas’ attack off the rush because it will be a big story as the series rolls along. Honestly, I thought we were lucky to escape as unscathed as we did in the opener. Edmonton gave up a bunch of bonus zone entries off turnovers and giveaways, and they need to clean up those mistakes ASAP Rocky.
9. The Oilers became the first team in NHL history to come back from five consecutive deficits on the scoreboard to win the game. That’s a cool record, no doubt, but how cool would it be if the boys didn’t have to pull off a comeback every night?
10. There’s nothing I love sharing with you more than faceoff stats, and that’s why I’m elated to tell you that the Oilers won 63.5% of the draws in Game 1.
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