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Instant Reaction: Oilers enter Christmas break jolly with win over Senators
Edmonton Oilers
Photo credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Dec 22, 2024, 22:45 ESTUpdated: Dec 22, 2024, 22:50 EST
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A nice win is just what you want to see heading into the holiday break.
On Sunday evening, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Ottawa Senators, defeating the streaking team by a score of 3-1 to move their season record to 21-11-2. Let’s look at what happened in this game.
With just over five and a half minutes remaining in the first period, Viktor Arvidsson, elevated to the top line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins out with an illness, found himself the recipient of a Connor McDavid cross-ice pass, burying it for his third of the season.
The Senators got on the board early in the second period, as Evan Bouchard was a little bit too casual on the puck coming up the ice. Nick Cousins poked the puck off his stick and scored on the breakaway.
Edmonton took the lead back with less than six minutes to go in the middle frame, as Leon Draisaitl tried a back door pass to Arvidsson on the power play. Unfortunately, he was tied up on the post but managed to put it to the middle of the ice where Zach Hyman pounced on it to score his 10th goal in nine games since returning from an injury.
Less than two minutes into the third period, Mattias Janmark fed Adam Henrique in the slot, with the one-less-toothless one scoring his third goal of the season and his first in 16 games. Nice to see him get off the schneid.

Takeaways…

The Oilers’ best period is usually the second period, but that wasn’t the case Sunday. Their second period wasn’t bad, each team scored a goal and the Oilers outshot the Senators 10-7, but they just smothered the Senators for a large portion of the third period. Of course, the Senators had a late push down 3-1, but overall it was a great defensive period for the Oilers.
Stuart Skinner had a good game, saving 21 shots on 22 opportunities for a .955 save percentage. Aside from the Florida Panthers game last Monday, the 26-year-old has been terrific over his past 10 games or so.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was a scratch before the game, leading to a mix-up of the lines. One player who benefited greatly from the changes was Viktor Arvidsson, who scored a goal and picked up an assist. He has seven points this season, with five of those points coming in two games. I’d like to see him play alongside McDavid again.
If you’re ever in an argument with someone and they say the Oilers lack bottom-six depth, point to the insane chemistry that Mattias Janmark, Adam Henrique, and Connor Brown have. The line has had limited time together this season, but combined for the important third goal for the Oilers. They were fantastic during the Stanley Cup Finals, and hopefully, they’ll put together when Evander Kane returns.
With the loss, the Senators’ six-game winning streak has come to an end. The Oilers stay hot though, winning 15 of their last 20 games with a 15-4-1 record. Paired with a Los Angeles Kings loss, the Oilers moved into second in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Oilers will play the Kings when they return from their Christmas break next Saturday. Hopefully, they can keep up the good stretch of games!
If you enjoy my content, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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