HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES!? Final Score: 5-3 Oilers
I don’t know about you guys, but after the way Wednesday’s game went against the Red Wings, I was looking for the Oilers to show some sack by responding with a huge effort into Boston. I don’t even care that they’re playing the Bruins in this situation, I thought it was more important to actually show up and get to work from the moment the puck dropped rather than 30+ minutes into the game. Yet, despite the obvious need for a better start, the Oilers were sluggish again in the early going and it gave the Bruins the opportunities they needed to open the scoring. Thankfully, the boys were able to respond with a quick goal of their own to knot things up, but I’d highly suggest that they figure out a solution to these slow starts because it’s hard enough to win in this league at the best of times and I’d prefer that the Oilers stop shooting themselves in the foot. I don’t think that’s too much to ask, is it? The good news is that they got the response they needed to tie the game before the intermission and complete what ended up being a pretty solid road period.
Now that they had their legs working for them, the Oilers needed to keep that pace up and grind for offensive zone time to try and limit Boston’s ability to counterpunch. Most of Edmonton’s chances came on the rush through 20 minutes so trying to get their cycle going would go a long way for tilting the ice in their favour. Instead, the boys made a couple of costly mistakes and the period was bookended with a pair of Boston goals that seemed totally deflating from where I blog. And while the Oilers did get one back in the middle, they couldn’t get the luck or saves they needed to pull ahead. It was frustrating because I thought the boys were playing decently well but their stars just weren’t aligning, ya know? In the third period, however, the Oilers started to put everything together and that proved to be a handful for the Bruins to handle. Whether they were in the attacking zone or working to get the puck back, the boys were buzzing and it was incredibly satisfying to watch them get rewarded for their work with a trio of goals that not only even the score up but wrestle the lead away with enough insurance to coast to the finish line.
As much as it would have been understandable for the Oilers to fold their hand after the Bruins kept restoring the lead, the boys showed some incredible resilience to keep finding ways to battle back until it was them that was eventually on top. That’s something we haven’t seen around these parts a whole lot over the years, and I cannot even begin to describe how happy I am to know that no game is truly over until the final buzzer sounds. Those are two big points, my friends. Two big points indeed.
The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

  • Only 44 seconds after Pastrnak’s opener, Evan Bouchard tied the goal (1-1) with a bullet of a wrist shot from the high slot that beat Ullmark up over the glove. It was the exact response we needed from the boys because they were flat
  • When Brad Marchand gave Boston back their lead, I was hoping the Oilers would find a way to respond again and that’s exactly what they did only 40 seconds later when Zach Hyman made a beautiful move to the center of the ice before firing a backhander through Ullmark down low. It was the kind of clutch goal that we needed and I was 2000% fired up when Hyman found a way to put it home.
  • For the third time tonight, the Oilers were able to tie the game (1-1) after Brandon Carlo coughed the puck up to Leon Draisaitl in the slot and the former MVP buried it. Of all the people Carlo could have given the puck up to, Draisaitl was the perfect choice IMO. Draisaitl added a second goal only a few minutes later when Cody Ceci found him in the slot with a perfect pass that he made no mistake on.
  • Cody Ceci picked the perfect time to grab his first goal as an Oiler as he was able to give the boys some insurance (5-3) with a wrister from the high slot that beat a fallen Ullmark. Unfortunately, Ceci didn’t get much time to feel good about the goal as he was hit in the ear with a puck in the moments following the faceoff at center ice.
  • After a rare night off in Detroit, Mikko Koskinen was back between the pipes and looking to get the Oilers back in the win column, and while I’d suggest that he wasn’t close to being at his best, he made the saves his team needed to stay in the fight regardless of where they were at on the scoreboard. Admittedly, I thought the goal to Carlo was going to be backbreaking, but the good news is that the boys were able to pick him up with some clutch goals down the stretch to secure the win. Koskinen finished the night with 26 saves and a .897 save%.
  • After having his assist streak end in Detroit, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was back in the giving spirit once again as he picked up a helper on Evan Bouchard’s first period goal.
  • The penalty kill was excellent again, killing off all three of Boston’s chances when up by a man.
  • Taylor Hall didn’t score!
  • Today on the Real Life Podcast, Tyler Yaremchuk agreed to wear a romper to our Viewing Party if we can raise $1000 for the Edmonton Humane Society before November 27th. Well, as of this point, we’re already at $500 dollars in so I’m thinking we get there. Want to help? Make your donation here.

THE FACE PALMERS

  • David Pastrnak opened the scoring (1-0) with a quick wrister down low after the Bruins broke into the offensive zone and pushed the Oilers back on their heels. It’s not that the Bruins crossed the boys up or anything, the Oilers were playing sloppy hockey and they ended up getting burned for it.
  • Early in the second period, Brad Marchand restored the Bruins’ lead (2-1) with a backhander that beat Koskinen up high after the puck bounced right to his stick in the slot. Right place, right time. The problem, however, is that the refs missed a clear penalty in the seconds leading up to the goal but I guess that’s just life as an Oilers fan, I guess.
  • For the third time, the Bruins were able to grab the lead when Brandon Carlo’s point shot made its way through Koskinen despite him seemingly having a clean look at it. It was the kind of late-period goal that breaks your spirit and one that simply has to be stopped.
  • For the second straight night, the Oilers were unable to find the back of the net on the power play as they went 0/2 with the man advantage.
  • I don’t want to be the guy that’s always complaining about the refs but they were absolutely abysmal in this hockey game. I don’t know how many times Connor McDavid needs to get hooked/tripped/hacked at before he gets a call but the answer was unknown tonight.
  • I know you’ve all been waiting for me to tell you about the faceoffs, but unfortunately, the news isn’t very good as I must report that the Oilers won only 33% of the faceoffs.
  • Mike Smith had to go back to Edmonton after suffering a setback in his recovery, and I cannot begin to express how scary it is that our starter is back on the shelf for who knows how long.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT 

Talk to me, Twitter. Tweet at @Oilersnation and @jsbmbaggedmilk for your chance to land in the Best of the Tweets.

WRAP UP IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY DAILYFACEOFF

Looking to up your fantasy hockey game? DailyFaceoff has the tools you need for both daily and season-long fantasy leagues, including a lineup optimizer, daily projections, and a whole lot more. Sign up for the DailyFaceoff tools here.