THE BRIGHT SIDE

• I love when @Connor McDavid goes full McDavid just like he did when he blew around Oliver Ekman-Larsson like he was some kind of plug, opening the scoring with a highlight reel goal that we’ll be watching on Sportscentre for weeks. The way the guy handles the puck at full speed is incredible to watch and a true gift from the Hockey Gords.
• @Gaetan Haas tied the game up (2-2) with a third period deflection after he slid into the slot just in front of Darcy Kuemper at the precise right moment when Matt Benning’s point shot was coming through traffic. Originally, the goal was giving to Kassian but it was later given to Haas who was credited with his first in the NHL.
• @Leon Draisaitl has been so good for the Oilers this season that I can’t help but wonder how much better he can possibly get. Leon wasn’t able to keep his goal streak alive tonight but he did extend his point streak to seven games with his assist on Connor’s first period marker. Draisaitl’s offensive game is dialled in, his defending is getting much better, and he seems to make something happen on almost every shift which makes me wonder how many more levels are left for the guy.
• The penalty kill was perfect again tonight, killing off all three power play chances it faced.
• Ethan Bear continues to impress on the Oilers blue line with his nifty little passes, active stick, and willingness to shoot any chance he gets. As far as feel good stories go, Ethan Bear has to be at the top of the list of wicked storylines that no one could have expected heading into this season. Bear played 24:19 tonight, had three shots on goal, two hits, and a takeaway.
• Oscar Klefbom led his team in ice time again with 27:35 to go along with his six blocks, two takeaways, hit, and single shot on goal.
• Oilers won 56% of the faceoffs tonight with Draisaitl leading the way at 75% followed by Nugent-Hopkins at 71%.

THE FACE PALMERS

• I’m not going to lie to you guys, @Michael Grabner’s game-tying goal (1-1) was a puck that Koskinen has to stop every single time. You know it, I know it, Mikko knows it. Let’s all forget this ever happened and move on.
• @Carl Soderberg gave the Coyotes a lead (2-1) after blocking Joel Persson’s pass attempt at the far blue line and walking the puck down the ice, ripping a wrist shot high over Koskinen’s glove. To that point in the second period, the Coyotes were attacking with all kinds of pressure and I started to wonder how long the Oilers would be able to bend without breaking.
• @Derek Stepan hadn’t scored a goal in 13 games so did it surprise you to hear that he was the hero in OT? It didn’t surprise you, did it?
• Remember when the Oilers’ power play was about as automatic as the promise of a new day? Pepperidge farm remembers. I don’t know what’s happened between now and then but I can tell you that the PP does NOT look the same. Until someone proves it to me otherwise, I’m going to assume there’s a witch involved.
• The NHL site had the Oilers with 17 giveaways tonight but that seems light by my eye. To me, it seemed like the team was giving up the puck like Christmas presents, especially in the second period when Arizona really had the trap locked in.
• @Mikko Koskinen got the start tonight which was a curious move considering Mike Smith standing on his head against the Penguins on Saturday. That’s not to say that Mikko didn’t deserve the start, he has certainly played very well so far in the young season, but it’s just that Smith played so well against the Penguins that he seemed like the default option for another game. So when Koskinen allowed a weak goal early in the game, it opened the door to question whether or not it was the right decision to give him the start. To his credit, he was able to settle in as the game progressed and made plenty of quality saves, but had it not been for that first one then perhaps we might be talking about a different outcome. Koskinen finished the night with 21 saves and a .875 save%.
• @Joel Persson only played 10:08 tonight and we didn’t see him after he gave the puck up to Soderberg on the Coyotes’ second goal of the night. At first, I thought he might be injured but then it seemed like Tippett was not happy with the play and decided that the rookie had seen enough for the night. In his post-game presser, Tippett called out both Mikko Koskinen and Joel Persson for their costly mistakes that ended up costing the team a win.
• Speaking of Tippett… WE WANT THE TIPSTACHE!
• The Oilers led on the shot clock (28-24) but I still feel like they passed up on far too many opportunities to fire the puck on net. The boys love to look for the perfect pass out there and sometimes I wish that they would be a little bit more selfish when given the chance.

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

HOPE WILL NEVER DIE