Final Score: Ducks 6 – Oilers 3
So that is what happens when the home team is dead early, the bounces go the other way, and the goaltending battle is lost. You get a disappointing, at times ugly, and ultimately underwhelming affair that resulted in the Oilers losing 6-3.
Now, that isn’t to say that this game didn’t have its moments; it sure as heck did. The 2nd period in particular was fantastic, it was just the 20 minutes on either side of it that resulted in the Oilers first loss of this second round series. The Oilers started the game extremely flat, going down 1-0 just 25 seconds in, they often struggled to move the puck properly which dug the hole even further, and even after they had climbed all the way back from a 3 goal deficit, their goaltender just didn’t have the ability to shut it down.
It was a whirlwind of weaknesses that ate up the home team and prevented them from really putting the boots to the Ducks with a 3rd straight game. A missed opportunity perhaps describes this game the best.
If there is a positive to takeaway from this game, perhaps it is that even though it was reminiscent of the drubbing the Oilers received in game 4 against the Sharks, it never reached the disaster that that game was, despite for a while, looking like it would.
When the Ducks exercised their smarts with a rather genius set-play just 25 seconds in, sending Rakell in on a breakaway off of a defensive zone draw, the bells of game 4 rang faintly. After the second goal just 5 minutes later, where the Oilers failed to clear the zone and Silfverberg sniped one home, those same bells rang a bit louder. And after the extremely poor clearing attempt by Darnell Nurse, which was picked off and put home by Ryan Getzlaf, those bells rang so loudly and clearly that a repeat seemed inevitable.
The Oilers, perhaps propelled by the raucous home crowd, didn’t completely break, however. They responded with a late goal by Patrick Maroon in the 1st, and then made things even tighter to start the 2nd with a fortunate Slepyshev bounce.
A smart rush by Desharnais leads to a goal. Oilers are back within one. pic.twitter.com/2RdBd0sPS4
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) May 1, 2017
The Oilers were buzzing and a comeback looked all but certain. And then Connor McDavid went all Connor McDavid and this game was tied. Unbelievable. Bedlam. Insanity. The Oilers were in the driver’s seat and Rogers Place was ready to celebrate.
Absolutely fantastic five-on-five stretch results in an Oiler power play. It's been all Oilers late in the second.
— Terry Jones (@byterryjones) May 1, 2017
That was, until 45 seconds later, when the previously mentioned goaltending battle came into effect. Cam Talbot, who has been so good in these playoffs, let in a rather weak shot from the side boards. The Oilers would respond with a series of incredible chances that John Gibson would remarkably toss aside. It was a terrific response to a poor goal, and yet, Edmonton couldn’t crack another.
3-3 game, Talbot lets in a shot that was going wide and Gibson makes 3 unbelievable saves. A rare sequence of losing the goaltending battle.
— Dan Tencer (@dantencer) May 1, 2017
From there, a 5th Anaheim goal – defined mainly by the incredibly close offside review that focused on it – and a 6th, halfway through the 3rd, would carve themselves out to be the closing tallies in the tilt. Jakob Silfverberg lead the way for the Ducks with 3 points on the evening.
The Oilers came close to completing the remarkable comeback, but in the end, just didn’t have enough.
So where do they stand? Well, the Oilers are still up 2-1 in the series, which is a very acceptable place to be in this series. And tonight’s result, although unfortunate, wasn’t entirely unexpected. We knew that the Ducks would be coming with all that they had to avoid the 3-0 hole, just as the Sharks had fought so hard to avoid going down 3-1.
Fortunately for the Oilers, similar to that Sharks game, they will have an ability to regroup. 2 days separate them from the next game, and at the end of that is a game 4 at Rogers Place. There will be no having to find their legs in foreign territory. So the Oilers, despite the unfortunate result, still sit in control. And they still have the ability to put the stranglehold on the series with an improved effort in the next outing.
All is not lost Oilers fans, and if we are to expect anything out of this team, it is for them to respond in a big way, just as they have all year.
Oilers Player of the Game
Kris Russell gets the highlight tonight. I thought that he definitely popped up a lot with positive, calm, and smart defensive plays. In addition, he also added a pair of assists. He was one of the 2 defencemen on the ice for the first Anaheim goal, but I will give him a break there as he got no help from his bench on the play, in terms of being alerted to the play developing behind him.
I really took a liking to his penalty killing late in the 3rd on the Maroon penalty. He was superb on that kill, made a couple clutch blocks, and it was that hard work that prevented the Ducks from going up 4-0 in the 1st.
He wasn’t perfect, but on a night like tonight when no Oiler was, he contributed as much as he could.
10 Takeaways
1. Eberle and Lucic struggled tonight (both -3 on the night), after putting a string of games together full of effective, defensive hockey. With Lucic though, at least he provides a physical presence to rattle the Ducks on some level. With Eberle, if he’s not scoring and not defending, he can be a detriment. I wouldn’t rush him off the top 6, but what do you think? Slepyshev has been great, does he get a look?
2. Another forward that I thought struggled early, but rebounded to at least salvage his game was Patrick Maroon. He was sluggish early, but his late 1st period marker seemed to give his game life, and he responded with a couple more shots on net, and 4 hits. His consistency will need to improve going forward in the series. The Oilers need the goal scoring, clean and physical presence of Patrick, not the undisciplined, at times slow version.
RNH goal under review pic.twitter.com/7CDgct8B9S
— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 30, 2017
3. Ryan Getzlaf could commit 2nd degree murder at centre ice and the referees and commentators would dispel it as veteran gamesmanship.
4. The Oilers could have had a better fortune in this game if their power play was any where near as good as it can be. Instead, it was full of poor puck management that killed many opportunities. I think of one sequence, late in the 2nd, where the Oilers dominated for a minute and 45 seconds at 5 on 5 to draw a penalty. The power play that followed completely derailed the momentum.
5. Also, can the Oilers never do that slap shot ring around clearing attempt again? I understand the logic behind it, but teams have caught on (as Getzlaf did tonight) and the result just never seem to work. If you are aiming for controlled exits and entries, that is the fastest way to eliminate both.
6. Let’s break into a couple positives here. I just mentioned the dominant shift late in the 2nd, and that is something the Oilers can point to as a good takeaway. The middle 20 minutes were defined by the Oilers taking it to the Ducks in a very decisive manner, and that type of effort, extended over 60, can win them this series.
After two. Oiler domination. Me likey.
CF% = 60.7
SACF% = 54.2
FF% = 53.7
DFF% = 57.2
SF% = 57.6
(All) FOW% = 46.9— Oilers Nerd Alert (@OilersNerdAlert) May 1, 2017
7. And how about that McDavid goal? Really, that was something else. He is heating up, and I still feel that that will go on to play a significant factor in this series.
GOAL OF THE PLAYOFFS! #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/5RLCe0uc0X
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 1, 2017
8. Edmonton will no doubt receive international attention for their singing of the American National Anthem tonight. Stellar job by the folks in Rogers Place, picking up after a dead mic.
❤this. The mic didn't work—so the crowd in Canada took over & sang The Star-Spangled Banner. Thanks, neighbors! 🇨🇦🇺🇸https://t.co/d5nvTl3GjX
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 1, 2017
9. Do we see a switch in defence? There has been a bit of wobble with Nurse and Benning, especially Nurse, and I do wonder if McLellan opts to bring in someone from the bench for game 4.
10. “An opportunity was missed, but the Oilers are still in control”. Yes, the Oilers have to clean up some aspects of their game, but the reality of the situation remains true. No need to dive into depths of delirium after this game. I expect a better effort on Wednesday. I am sure much of everyone else in the city does as well.
Up next: Rogers Place on Wednesday
A couple days of rest followed by game 4 at Rogers on Wednesday. What have the Oilers learned from this one?
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