Flush that one and move on. Final Score: 3-0 Coyotes
After a huge weekend that saw the Oilers close out wins against both the defending champs and Calgary Flames, I was curious to see what the boys would do for an encore. Would they find a way to put the hammer down and keep the good times rolling, or did they party a little too much after the last BOA/for the Super Bowl to be truly prepared to play? If I’m being honest, I was concerned that Saturday’s win combined with a day off for the Super Bowl would leave the boys feeling foggy/sluggish ahead of tonight’s contest with the Coyotes, but then again, I also thought that maybe I’m just not used to this ‘meaningful games in February’ thing. Surely they knew how important tonight’s divisional game was, right? Surely they’d be fired up to play? The bad news was that the Oilers had an objectively horrible start to the hockey game which wasn’t exactly making me feel any better about my initial theory.
Heading into the second period of a scoreless hockey game, the Oilers were lucky to not be down by a goal or two but they were going to have to do a much better job of getting pucks on net if they were planning to win. With only four shots through 20 minutes, the Oilers looked nothing like the team that pumped eight goals into the net on Saturday night and I felt that they were too often looking to make a pass rather than throwing pucks towards Raanta. And while the Oilers did play much better in the second period — yeah, I know it was a low bar to clear — it was the Coyotes that were able to manufacture the pair of goals that essentially nailed the coffin shut. Simply put, the Oilers looked out of sorts and a step behind and they didn’t look like they were anywhere close to being able to crawl out of the hole they dug for themselves. Yeah, they ended up getting shots on net but they never really looked dangerous as a whole.
Down by two with only 20 minutes to play, the Oilers needed a McMiracle if they were going to salvage a point but they just didn’t have the juice to make it happen or to get themselves anywhere close. All in all, it was a disappointing evening for an Oilers team that had the chance to put some space between themselves and their opponent, and all we can do is hope that they come out with a better effort on Thursday night against San Jose. Flush this one and move on.
The wrap.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

  • The game is over now.
  • @Mikko Koskinen was back between the pipes after a fantastic appearance against the St. Louis Blues combined with a strong relief appearance for @Mike Smith the next night after Smith was given the boot for beating up @Cam Talbot. By my eye and I don’t think it’s really that close, Koskinen was easily the best Oiler on the ice tonight and had it not been for him then this game would have been lost by more than the two goals he allowed. Koskinen finished the night with 24 saves and a .923 save%.
  • The penalty kill was solid tonight and the boys handled all three man advantages they faced.
  • Like shots on goal? The Oilers had more than the Coyotes did (30-27) so that’s cool, I guess.
  • At least most of the Pacific Division sucked tonight too.

THE FACE PALMERS

  • @Conor Garland opened the scoring for the Coyotes after Ethan Bear gave up the puck on a weak clearing attempt that was easily intercepted at the blue line and quickly turned around for a prime chance on goal. As far as defending goes, the Oilers looked like they were back in the swarm days and it wasn’t exactly surprising to see the Coyotes cash in on the chance.
  • @Lawson Crouse extended the Coyotes’ lead (2-0) with a shorthanded goal after getting some luck on a 2-on-1 when his cross-ice pass banked in off a sprawling Oscar Klefbom’s skate.
  • @Christian Dvorak added the empty netter to seal the deal. *farts loudly*
  • That first period was about as sloppy as we’ve seen from the Oilers in a while and, frankly, they were lucky to come out of it with the game tied at bagels. I mean, it didn’t matter in the end but that was not the start they wanted.
  • The Oilers really needed their powerplay to come through tonight, but they couldn’t get anything done with their three chances.
  • To be honest, no one was really that sharp tonight and rather than single any one player out I’m just going to put the bulk of the roster in the face palmers instead.
  • What’s the deal with Tyler Benson not playing anyway? Is he refusing to shave his sideburns?

SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD

TIMETEAMDETAILSSCORE
No Scoring

2ND PERIOD

TIMETEAMDETAILSSCORE
04:50
Arizona
Conor Garland (18) ASST: Taylor Hall (30), Jakob Chychrun (10)
0-1
06:58
Arizona
SHG – Lawson Crouse (13)
0-2

3RD PERIOD

TIMETEAMDETAILSSCORE
17:49
Arizona
EN – Christian Dvorak (15)
0-3

#GOODCONTENT

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THE HAIR MASSACURE

Hair Massacure is taking over Edmonton this winter to support the fight against childhood cancer and grant wishes to some extraordinary young patients. On February 21, 2020 thousands of heads will be shaved, once again, in honour of the journey of sick children losing their hair due to chemotherapy. All funds raised go to Children’s Wish Foundation and Terry Fox PROFYLE. You can help. Go to www.hairmassacure.com to learn more.