Both Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg played well in their first trip to Edmonton as members of the St. Louis Blues but it was the Oilers who got the last laugh with a 4-2 win over their former teammates.
Without contracts in August, the two former first-round draft picks inked offer sheets with the Blues. The Oilers opted not to match and received a second and third-round pick from St. Louis in return. It was a difficult pill for Edmonton to swallow after Holloway and Broberg took steps forward during the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in the spring.
Corey Perry opened the scoring for the Oilers in the first period and then Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman extended the lead to 3-0 with two more goals in the second frame. Holloway got the Blues on the board with his ninth goal of the season and Jake Neighbours cut Edmonton’s lead to one with a power play goal late in the third but Troy Stecher gave the Oilers some insurance just over a minute later.
The fans in Edmonton met Holloway and Broberg with boos when they took the ice and touched the puck. Defenceman Darnell Nurse, who played with Broberg during the playoffs, said after the game that going up against the former Oilers gave the team some added motivation.
“It brought some atmosphere and energy to the rink,” Nurse said. “Those were two guys that we thought very highly of as teammates. They were great teammates to us, but now they’re on the other side. So if they get booed, they get booed.”
Head coach Kris Knoblauch was asked about two young players being booed and he noted that fans in Edmonton are showing their passion for their own team rather than hatred of opposing players.
“Oilers fans, they’re very passionate,” Knoblauch said. “They love their team and they’re probably feeling those two players chose not to be here. The fans were showing their dissatisfaction with that. But I don’t think they’re showing hatred for the players. They’re just showing support for their team.”
St. Louis head coach Jim Montgomery spoke highly of Holloway and Broberg after the game, saying that they expected to hear jeers from the crowd and they handled it well. Broberg logged 21:05 playing alongside Colton Parayko on the team’s top defensive pairing and Holloway logged 15:06 on the second line. It was clear both players had an extra boost playing against the organization that drafted them and let them walk.
“I thought Holloway was one of our better players tonight and I thought Broberg handled himself really well too,” Montgomery said. “Broberg is poised, he’s making plays, he’s killing plays, he’s playing over 25 minutes a night right now. Both of those young men coming into a passionate fan base like the Oilers are, and getting booed, they expected it and I thought they handled it well.”
Holloway was asked after the game what it was like to face the Oilers for the first time and he said the experience of being on the other side was different but exciting.
“It felt different. It’s definitely a different experience when you go up against your former team,” Holloway said. “I built some good relationships with the guys and the staff and everybody in Oil Country. It was definitely a little different, but at the same time, it was exciting. I just wish we got the ‘W’ tonight.”
While the spotlight was on Holloway and Broberg on Saturday, it was goaltender Stuart Skinner who ultimately stole the show. The Edmonton native turned aside 29 of 31 shots in the win and said after the game that he was motivated to beat Jordan Binnington, who was one of three goalies selected to play for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
“I’m happy that I beat Binner because we won the game, but he beat me out for that (Team Canada) spot for a reason. He’s a hell of a goalie,” Skinner said. “You just kind of see it for what it is. I didn’t get picked and that’s alright. It gives me an opportunity to keep working.”
Skinner has an .892 save percentage over 18 games this season. That number is still well below expectation for the starting goaltender of a Stanley Cup contender, but Skinner’s play has been trending in the right direction. He has a .904 save percentage in 11 games since November and a .945 save percentage in four starts since being shelled by the Minnesota Wild a couple of weeks ago.
