The Edmonton Oilers claimed a gritty, however usually sloppy, 4-3 overtime victory against the Utah Hockey Membership on Friday night time. Edmonton needed to overcome a sluggish begin and unforced errors to storm again after taking place 2-0. They scored three unanswered, let Utah tie it up, then received in extra time to safe two essential factors. Listed here are the important thing takeaways from a recreation that highlighted each their strengths and ongoing points.
Particular Groups Shined for the Oilers
Vasily Podkolzin opened the scoring at full power, netting in consecutive video games for the primary time since his rookie season. After that, the Oilers’ energy play was a game-changer, scoring twice on three alternatives. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid each scored.
In the meantime, Edmonton’s penalty kill remained good, extending its streak to 17 straight kills. The Oilers want their particular groups to begin doing what it’s imagined to do. If the penalty kill has discovered its groove, the facility play simply must catch up and begin cashing in. Friday’s recreation was an excellent signal.
Nugent-Hopkins’ Heroics
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins delivered certainly one of his finest performs of the season, stripping the puck in extra time and racing down the ice to attain the game-winner. The play not solely gave the Oilers their first win in Utah but additionally showcased Nugent-Hopkins’ clutch issue. As Draisaitl put it, “Nuggy is a clutch participant… we in all probability get extra excited than he does.” Whether or not this sparks a sizzling streak for Nugent-Hopkins stays to be seen, however his game-winner was a much-needed increase.
Nugent-Hopkins said after the game that he was simply searching for a spot and tried to hit it. He famous that he’s missed spots this 12 months by a number of inches. “It’s good to see it go in each as soon as and some time.”
Sloppy Begin, Robust End: Connor McDavid’s Combined Night time
McDavid recorded a objective and an help, extending his current sizzling streak to 29 factors in his final 9 video games. Nonetheless, he and his line had been on the ice for all three Utah targets, together with a pricey turnover that led to the primary objective towards.
The alternate between McDavid and Evan Bouchard was disjointed and the Oilers didn’t look prepared early. He didn’t backcheck on the primary objective although he was the rationale it occurred — which was a shock. The excellent news was that McDavid did appear to get going and discover his stride as the sport wore on.
He and the Oilers steadied the ship, even when they weren’t sharp and their defensive lapses had been a priority on this matchup. Draisaitl said: “I feel we discovered our legs a little bit bit and began to take pleasure enjoying with the puck. Once you throw pucks away and don’t care for them, you’re defending rather a lot.”
There have been instances within the recreation when the Oilers had been being badly outworked. The Oilers dedicated 12 turnovers and allowed Utah to capitalize on errors. Regardless of this, Edmonton discovered a approach to win, with a powerful end fueled by their particular groups and well timed performs.
Whereas this wasn’t a clear efficiency, contributions from their energy play and a powerful penalty kill led to an necessary two factors.
Calvin Pickard Steps Up
Pickard, beginning in internet after the Oilers’ five-day break, made 28 saves to maintain the sport inside attain throughout a shaky first interval. His regular play gave Edmonton the possibility to get better and ultimately win, underscoring the significance of dependable goaltending in tight video games.
Pickard hasn’t performed a lot this season and, at instances, he hasn’t performed nice. This was a pleasant efficiency for a participant who was a stable backup for the workforce final season. Pickard is a crucial piece of the Oilers puzzle.
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