Final Score: Ducks 4 – Oilers 3
Well that just sucks… there is really no other way to put it. Perhaps no other loss has stung as much since 2006, and I sincerely mean that. In a game that featured such radical shifts and spikes in emotion, to have it end on a crappy play, just a few seconds into overtime, is an absolute gut wrencher.
Raise your hand if you will be tossing and turning all night thinking about that one. I know I will.
And the thing is, this game started so beautifully. From where we had left off in game #3, the Oilers were not looking at the top of their game at all. They had just come off a 6-3 loss, and had put forth an effort in that game that left a lot to be desired.
Perhaps that is why the 1st period of tonight’s tilt felt so pivotal. The Oilers came out with intensity, vigour, control, and an overwhelming force that seized immediate control of the game. The Ducks spent much of the 1st on their heels as the Oilers skated through them, with Edmonton working themselves into an early power play opportunity. Milan Lucic, doing what he has done so well all year, used his massive frame in front of the net to secure position and put the Oilers ahead 1-0.
Excellent! Much better than the start of last game.
Basically total domination.
'Cept for those damn faceoffs!CF% = 57.6
SACF% = 56.7
FF% = 75.0
DFF% = 76.2
SF% = 72.2
(All) FOW% = 31.2— Oilers Nerd Alert (@OilersNerdAlert) May 4, 2017
From there, just two minutes later, Captain Connor, who was having himself one helluva period, put the Oilers up 2-0 off of a Draisaitl assist (his second helper of the period).
Glorious! It was all going splendidly…
That was until the 2nd period rolled around, and just a couple minutes in, the Ducks had scored. It was an extremely controversial goal (we will get more into that later), that definitely should have been called back for goaltender interference. It wasn’t. That goal, as controversial as it was, would come as a result of an awful play by Jordan Eberle on the boards (poor enough to earn a demotion to the 4th line), and would summarize a theme for the middle frame: extremely poor plays being made in dangerous areas of the ice.
Since GIFs aren't working for some, here's video of the Ducks goal that wasn't ruled goalie interference pic.twitter.com/M7VRyxjmTx
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 4, 2017
It was as if that goal, despite only halving the Oilers lead, had completely drained the wind out of Edmonton’s sails. Even Rogers Place seemed to have quieted as a result; although, it could have been a response of utter bewilderment at the poor call. Tough to say.
That deflation would result in an 2nd period that was dominated by the Ducks. The shot clock would be lead 21-5, and Anaheim would add two more goals before the second buzzer, one from Rickard Rakell, and the other from Ryan Getzlaf. The Rakell goal would later revealed to be offside…. of course, the Oilers could not challenge, thanks to incorrect call on the first Ducks goal.
And so, following the highest of highs in the 1st, and an immediate drag down to hell in the 2nd, the Ducks would enter the 3rd period leading 3-2. The final frame, unlike the one that preceded it, wouldn’t be one dominated by the Ducks.
The Oilers found their footing in the period, and guys like Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle, who had been direct culprits on a couple of the Ducks goals, significantly ramped up their intensity. As the Oiers pressed to tie the period, Cam Talbot was there in the blue paint making the necessary saves to give his team a chance.
The Oilers cycled, hit, and pressed with the very same intensity that brought them their early game success until finally the Ducks took a penalty with 3 minutes left in the game. A perfect opportunity to manually redeem both the injustice by the refs, but also their extremely poor play in the 2nd.
They did not fail. Drake Caggiula found the twine just as the penalty slipped off the clock, sending Rogers Place, and every bar, pub an household in the city into a frenzy. It was the 2017 version of the Yak slide. Justice. Redemption. And now, a chance to win the game in overtime and take a 3-1 series lead.
And that euphoric feeling of confidence and adrenaline would last… all of about 45 seconds into overtime, when on yet another questionable play (this time for icing), the Ducks finished the game with a wide open one timer past Talbot. Jakob Silfverberg, who has been a killer in these playoffs, would be the an to finish the job.
Can someone explain why this icing was waived off? pic.twitter.com/fvroV6m28O
— Zain (@ZainL96) May 4, 2017
Shot. Right. Through. The. Heart. Tonight, there are a few Oilers that can look into the mirror and pin portions of this loss on their shoulders. But, in all honesty, there are a set of officials who will have to understand that they no doubt played their fair share in the loss too.
For that reason, tonight’s game has one of the strangest lasting impressions. On one hand, we can point to the poor board play by Eberle on the first goal, and the hesitation on by Nuge on the 3rd goal as specific points of sloppy, weak plays that inspired the collapse. On the other hand, we can see severe NHL systematic faults (again, more on that later) which gave way to those sloppy plays, in a sense.
And even despite all of that, the game still reached overtime, and in it, once again, we have an Anaheim goal scored on circumstances that can be questioned, but, that was also paired with a sloppy, weak play.
It was a strange, heartbreaking game, and for that reason, I think it makes sense to do a quick Oielrs player of the game, a small little rant on consistency, and do a 10 Takeways article tomorrow. It should hopefully provide a clearer perspective on the game, with a bit of emotion removed.
Overall though, the series will shift back to Anaheim for game #5 on Friday. I will expect that this team will be extremely motivated to shove this result down the Ducks throat. And it is probably imperative that they do so, considering that this is now a best of 3 series, with 2 games to possibly be played on the road. Immediately stopping this Ducks momentum is imperative.
Oilers Players of the Game
Connor McDavid was fantastic early, but slowed a tad down the stretch so het gets a nod here, although doesn’t earn it outright. He was crucial in getting the Oilers their early momentum, and ended the night with a goal.
Leo Draisaitl was terrific early as well, and ended the night with 2 assists. Despite that, he still was a tad two sloppy at times, and some drop passes to nowhere at the offensive zone blue line stand out as areas of needed improvement.
Milan Lucic was a -2 on the night, but that number doesn’t do his play justice. He scored the first goal of the game, was a force in the offensive zone, and totalled 5 hits, many of those being of the heavy variety. His massive hits helped ignite the much-needed spark that the Oilers needed in the 3rd.
💪💪💪 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Fgj2ROwSNv
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 4, 2017
Consistency
We already covered that tonight’s loss was not all on the referees, and so with that understood, we can talk more seriously, and without a perceived revenge attitude, about the consistency issue that plagues today’s NHL.
In short, there is no consistency. Completely, and truly, those who observe NHL action on a daily basis will testify that when it comes to things such a penalties, offsides, goaltender interference, icings, etc., there is absolutely no consistency.
That is simply unacceptable in a major sports league. Tonight was a perfect example of the perfect blend of that inconsistent behaviour that is in every nook and cranny of the NHL. The first Anaheim goal, by the basic understanding of goaltending interference that observers have cobbled together over the past few years, was 100% goaltender interference. Contact was made with Talbot, preventing him from making the save, and it wasn’t a result of an Oilers player. Clear as day. And yet, despite it being clear… the referees deemed it a good goal. Mystifying.
From there, we witnessed no calls on plays of interference by Getzlaf (openly acknowledged by the play-by-play). These types of plays are sometimes called, sometimes not. Again, it is impossible to tell what triggers it or not, as it is as random as rainfall. We also witnessed missed chance at challenging a definite offside goal (due to the failed challenge on Anaheim’s first goal), and an overtime winner that was, you guessed it, also drenched in inconsistency due to an icing that probably should have been called.
Some members of the media took to Twitter tonight to lecture Oiler fans about their complaints towards the officiating. I understand it, most of the time that sort of behaviour resembles extreme poor sportsmanship.
But when a league has carved itself such a distinct reputation for its extreme lack of ability to correctly call their own rule book, I find it hard to blame fans that openly express their confusion and anger. In baseball, strikes and balls are debated for sure, but if a line drive hits the chalk, it is a fair ball. If the foot hits the base before the ball hits the glove, it is safe. Black and white, no debate. Basic rules, described properly, and for the most part, called correctly.
In the NHL, you would be hard pressed to find anyone that could say with confidence what qualifies as goaltender interference nowadays. You would find it extremely difficult to find someone that could accurately describe what interference looks like. And I would wager that a good chunk of folks have lost faith in even the most basic of calls being called correctly, in that of offside and icing.
No, most of us Oilers fans will not be blaming the officials of tonight’s loss. We get it. But as fans of the NHL, we have a right to expect better. We have a right to expect, for our hard earned dollars, a system that doesn’t have its officials looking at 8 inch iPads to decipher goaltender interference. We have a right to expect a rulebook that can be explained to new fans in a manner that doesn’t include raised hands and shrugged shoulders.
So please, for the night, excuse us fans for being a little ticked off that this league is still so far off the mark. If the system isn’t fixed, it could very realistically find its way into blundering the result of a Stanley Cup Final. The situation is already embarrassing, but that… that would be devastating.
NHL, we beg of you. Fix this consistency issue and call things properly, fairly, and with a line of logic that can be traced from Septemeber all the way until June. It is the least you can do for your fans.
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