Thanks, Calgary. Final Score: 3-2 Oilers
After Tuesday’s debacle against the Canadiens, I was hoping that the Oilers spent the last couple of days stewing in rage at both how they performed in that game and also in anticipation of tonight’s 249th Battle of Alberta. The boys were about as flat as it gets against Montreal and I couldn’t think of a better way to get fired up than a dance with the Flames. The way I see it, there was no way I’d rather start my long weekend than another punishing BOA win, especially with the added layer of tomorrow’s matchup being postponed. The Oilers needed the points, I needed the dopamine. In the early going, Edmonton was doing a decent job of creating pressure and chances for themselves but the problem was that they couldn’t get anything past Markstrom. At the other end, the Flames weren’t quite as active but what they did do was a good job of getting bodies in front of the net before firing the puck, which was exactly how they were able to finish the period with an early lead.
Moving into the second period, there wasn’t a whole lot the Oilers needed to change apart from maybe getting some luck with their execution as they tried to win the period. Keep shooting, more traffic. And in the opening moments, the boys were skating well and creating some havoc in the offensive zone and it wasn’t exactly surprising to see the effort result in a few powerplays, one of which landed them a goal. The RNH goal seemed to wake the Flames up a bit as they started throwing counterpunches at high frequency, and it worked for a bit as they were able to temporarily regain the lead before Kahun was able to lock things up again. With 20 minutes to play and the game knotted at two, the Oilers were in a good spot to collect at least a point provided that they could stay dialled in and limit the Flames’ chances as best they could. Thankfully, they aimed higher than an OTL as they were able to cash in a second powerplay goal midway through the final frame that gave them a lead that they would not give up.
At the end of the day, this comeback was exactly what this team needed after a tough loss and to do it against their provincial rival was the cherry on top. That’s a nice way to start the long weekend.
The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

  • @Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tied the game (1-1) on the powerplay after he was able to pick up a rebound in the slot on his backhand and quickly fire it past a sliding Markstrom. For RNH, it was only his 3rd goal in his last 21, so you know it must have felt good to get that one.
  • Shortly after Calgary restored their lead, @Dominik Kahun tied the game for the second time (2-2) after Yamamoto found him with a perfect pass for a tap-in at the top of the crease. Kahun has struggled a little bit lately, so it was nice to see him chip in with a goal after being reinserted back into the top-six.
  • @Connor McDavid gave the Oilers the lead for the first time (3-2) on the powerplay after whipping a wrister through traffic right off the draw and catching Markstrom by surprise as he was waiting in the butterfly. The puck only dripped over the line, but as far as I’m concerned, it was one of the most beautiful goals I’ve ever seen.
  • @Mike Smith was back in the crease and looking for a repeat performance of the strong game he put up against the Leafs, and from start to finish, the old boy gave his team the calibre of goaltending you need from your starter. He made some big saves, some acrobatic saves, and provided his team with the foundation they needed to complete the comeback. Smith finished the night with 24 saves and a .923 save%.
  • I love the way @Kailer Yamamoto forechecks. I know I talk about it a lot and some of you are probably tired of hearing about it, but he’s like a dog on a bone and it’s fun to watch.
  • I was happy to see the broadcast give @Ethan Bear some love on the play he started that led to Kahun’s game-tying goal. I’ve mentioned it a bunch, but I think he’s finally starting to look more like himself after the slow start and concussion.
  • The Oilers got a pair of goals on five powerplay chances, which was the exact special teams boost they needed to close this thing out.
  • Not to be outdone, the penalty kill came through with a pair of huge kills to keep Calgary off the board with the man advantage.
  • Another monster night for @Darnell Nurse as he played a team-high 27:23 to go along with two SOG, two hits, and two blocks.
  • @Caleb Jones was back in the lineup for the first time in a while and I want to give him some love for playing a steady game even though he was probably feeling a bit rusty. I know he only played 8:31 but you can see there’s a player there.

THE FACE PALMERS

  • @Michael Stone opened the scoring for the Flames (1-0) with a blast from the point that made its way through traffic and passed Smith on the blocker side.
  • @Matthew Tkachuk restored the Flames lead (2-1) as he was coming out of the penalty box at the perfect time and was sprung on a breakaway that he would make no mistake on. The problem on this play, for me, was that Tyson Barrie had the puck with space on Calgary’s blueline and he fired a shot into traffic that was easily blocked and turned around for the eventual goal.
  • I can’t be the only one that notices how many puck battles the Oilers lose along the boards, right? What’s up with that?
  • @Tyson Barrie is having a rough week. While I don’t think he’s been as bad defensively as some do, I would have a hard time defending his play in his own end over these past few nights.
  • I hated the penalty that @Zack Kassian took at the end of the second period and was almost surprised he played after that. I like when Kass throws his body around but that was not a great spot for it.
  • @Evan Bouchard should be in Bakersfield. The quarantine has been reduced, let him play somewhere.
  • As sure as the sun will rise, so too can you set your watch on having me send you into the weekend with the knowledge that the Oilers won only 43% of the faceoffs? That’s consistency, my friend.
  • The Oilers were outshot by a 26-25 margin. We offer our apologies to the Corsi Gods

SCORING SUMMARY

#GOODCONTENT

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