THE BRIGHT SIDE

• I’ve said this a million times and I plan to say it a million more times: Connor McDavid has rocket legs. For the first time in a few games, we got to see Connor racing down the ice with speed as the Penguins seemed to give him more space than they probably should have. Tonight was one of those games where it was just fun to watch Connor skate and play the game that he appears to be a wizard at playing. The captain finished the night with three assists.
• As for the Connor versus Sid battle, it wasn’t really close in Round 1. While Crosby made the usual Crosby plays, he didn’t match Connor’s numbers in the end. While I think these player comparisons are generally overdone, you have to love watching two players this good go to battle.
• Jordan Eberle hadn’t scored a goal in nine games, but he got two big ones tonight. When the Oilers were down by a goal in the first period, Ebs made no mistake as he cruised in on Murray with all kinds of time. Eberle followed that up with another goal (his fifth) in the second period on a nice deke in front of the net. Great night for a guy that needed one.
• I love Patrick Maroon on the line with McDavid and Eberle. Maroon seems to have a knack for knowing where to be when Connor has the puck and he got rewarded for it again tonight for his fifth goal of the season. 
• I’ve fluffed all three guys already, but I had to give a shout out to the Maroon-McDavid-Eberle line. Solid night in almost every way. 
• Oilers went 53% in the faceoff circle. Centres: Lander 64%, Letestu 63%, Nuge 54%, Draisaitl 44%, McDavid 40%
• I’m happy that we can finally say that the first meeting between Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby is in the books. As much as both coaches played down the matchup, the media got two solid days worth of content about tonight’s game and I’m glad it’s in the books. It will be nice when Connor has faced all of these teams for the first time, and we don’t have to hear about the “first matchups between Connor and so-and-so.”
• No points for Crosby?

THE FACE PALMERS

• Another brutal start to the game. Lucic gave up the puck at the blue line and Conor Sheary blasted home his first goal of the season. Talbot arguably should have had the shot but the giveaway at the blue line by Lucic was atrocious. 
• The Oilers gave up a two-goal lead. That’s even more frustrating to write because the Oilers legitimately had a chance to win that hockey game. It wasn’t a fluke that they scored three goals, but they couldn’t keep their poop in a group in the defensive zone. Too many passes off the tape. Too many failed breakouts. Too much unnecessary zone time in the final forty minutes for the Penguins. 
• Carl Hagelin’s goal shouldn’t have happened. The Oilers got caught with a sloppy breakout/line change and the Penguins caught them flatfooted. 
• Not blaming Cam Talbot for the loss, but he wasn’t as sharp as he’s been over his past five or six games. That said, Talbot made some big saves tonight that kept the Oilers with the lead, or in the game, for longer than they deserved. Talbot finished the night with 27 saves and an .871 save%
• The Oilers gave up way too many odd-man rushes tonight. They seemed to get caught with all three forwards down low, and when they gave the puck up things got ugly. Frankly, the Oilers are lucky that the Penguins couldn’t cash on their odd-man opportunities because they had a bunch of them. 
• The Oilers could have really used a power play goal, but they went 0/2 on the night. That’s not because the power play was a complete disaster, but it certainly wasn’t as sharp as it has been on this road trip. 
• After Crosby’s line got moved away from McDavid they really seemed to carry the play. Draisaitl’s line struggled a little bit whereas Connor’s line always seemed to have the puck. 
• Maybe I’m just biased but I could have sworn that the Penguins were offside on Malkin’s tying goal. The Oilers didn’t end up challenging, but I thought it may have been worth a look. 
• Benoit Pouliot scored the winner for the Penguins, but I feel for him. Pouliot was trying to knock the loose puck away from the goal mouth but, instead, inadvertently knocked it into his own net. Tough break.
• Klefbom and Larsson were both -3 on the night. Draisaitl was -4. Take that how you will. 
• Left two point on the board. They might need those later. 

SCORING SUMMARY

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