Fresh off a weekend in which the Oilers were able to out-duel their province rivals, Edmonton would take to the ice Monday evening to battle the struggling Coyotes in Rogers Place.
After being rag dolled by the desert dogs for much of the previous few years, the Oilers finally mustered up a regulation win against Arizona in their last meeting on December 21st, with a 3-2 victory. The win has went a decent way in quieting the stigma surrounding the puzzling record when these 2 teams play, which must be nice for a team like Edmonton who has been scratching off demons of their past all season long.
Could the Oilers continue their winning ways against Arizona and extend their win streak to 3 straight, or would the dog days of yore return? Let’s take a look.
1st Period
- I cannot express how relieved I was upon hearing that Adam Larsson’s departure from the lineup would only be for a single game. His play is significant and his absence was definitely noticeable against Calgary.
- After many slow starts by the Edmonton squad lately, they fired out of the gate quickly with a Ryan Nuuuugent-Hopkins goal only 3 and a half minutes in. Just a great shot by #93 after 2 heads up passes by Eberle and Larsson. Much needed success for Jordan and Ryan.
HOT START! 🔥 #ARIvsEDM pic.twitter.com/oGzUnzaWMg
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 17, 2017
- The line of Nuge, Eberle and Pouliot had some immediate, . All 3 were playing very much to their expectations. If they get hot, look out…
- Oilers failed to capitalize on a shortened Power Play to close the first. They did complete 2 successful Penalty Kills in the frame, however.
The Oilers started this game hot, generating a few great chances and propelling themselves out to a 1-0 lead. By the last couple of minutes, the Coyotes had come on quite strong, but Talbot and the rest of the team were able to hold the fort, retaining the 1-0 score by the buzzer. An early lead against a trap team like Arizona is crucial, so props to the Oilers for accomplishing the task. Shots sat at 8-5 Edmonton to close the period.
All of Larsson, Sekera, and Russell played right around 7:30 of ice time through 1. Larsson looked fantastic in his time on ice.
2nd Period
- The Coyotes’ momentum from the 1st was short lived as the Oilers took complete control of the game for the first 5 minutes of the game. Their dominant start was sparkled with upwards of 3-4 great chances to double the lead.
- Speaking of which, Eberle came oh so close to ending his slump with a spin-o-rams backhand that hit the post. How snakebite can one man be?
- Apparently quite a bit because right after a successful Oilers’ Penalty Kill at the halfway mark, Eberle would be absolutely robbed on a breakaway by Mike Smith. The Arizona netminder would go on to make 2 more massive saves shortly thereafter as well.
- However, it wouldn’t take much longer after that to crack Mike Smith again, with Jujhar Khaira scoring his first career NHL goal! Can’t help but smile seeing the young player get rewarded for his hard work. Sweet little set-up from Kassian and Letestu on the tally.
Feels like the first time! 👌 #ARIvsEDM pic.twitter.com/cDa4FLaq8h
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 17, 2017
- Queue the floodgates, as Leon Draisaitl would score just after that on a gorgeous play started by McDavid. That’s Leon’s 17th of the year.
Draisaitl dangles to net a beauty. #ARIvsEDM https://t.co/K7DqnFkeNl
— NHL (@NHL) January 17, 2017
- Sadly, Talbot’s shutout bid would come to a close late in the period after a Coyotes’ Power Play marker. Radim Vrbata got the tally and odds are he will not be a Coyote past the deadline this year.
The period would close with the Oilers up 3-1. It was a fast and forceful period for Edmonton where a mountain of scoring chances were thrown the way of Arizona. Mike Smith was brilliant for much of the period and was the reason why this game was not a blowout after 40. 24-17 Edmonton in the shot department.
3rd Period
- Benoit Pouliot and Jordan Eberle going forward should get on a strict diet of whatever they ate before tonight’s game. They were flying through all parts of the ice all night long.
- It’s also nice to hear a bit more energy in Rogers Place from the crowd, after quieter games to start the season. I guess a few extra wins on home ice will do that.
- Check this out…
https://twitter.com/NHLbyMatty/status/821208553025196032
- Through 15 minutes of the 3rd and the Oilers had done a superb job of defending their 2 goal lead by playing smart hockey.
- Scary moment late in the game after a blocked shot by Andrej Sekera sent him to the dressing room early. We will hold our breathe and hope that it is nothing serious.
- A few late Coyotes’ shots would prove ineffective and the Oilers would hold on to the win…
Final Score: Oilers 3 – Coyotes 2
Postgame Thoughts
It’s been since 2009, but the Oilers have now, once again, defeated the Arizona Coyotes in regulation on home ice. With the Oilers victory in regulation at Arizona in December, this should now effectively close the loop and cease the discussion.
The desert dominance is dead. Dead. And with its death comes a 3 game win streak for an Edmonton Oilers club that continues to nestle its way further and further into the comfort of a top 3 division placement. The Oilers now sit 2 points behind the first place Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific. Securing 2 points against lesser opponents is a must for a club looking to make the playoffs, and after a pair of victories against the Devils, the Oilers did what they were supposed to do once again tonight. They have 6 points on the board to show for it.
So what did the Oilers do tonight to insure they beat the inferior squad? For starters, they brought energy. From the opening bell, all Edmonton players were moving their skates, winning races to the puck, finding ways to win the battles, and overall, driving the play deep into the Coyotes’ end.
The Oilers pounded the net with chances through the first 2 frames, and luckily for the Coyotes, Mike Smith was on his game. Otherwise, the 3 goals that the Oilers put up may have been doubled.
The energy was also overwhelmingly present in those who had needed to show an extra gear. The line of Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle, and Pouliot had been on a slow burn of improvement over the past week, but finally exploded for a full 60 minutes of high energy hockey. They had 1 goal to show for it this evening, which is fine, but they definitely deserved more. Jordan Eberle would be best to seek out a man that knows a thing or two about lifting curses, because his snakebitten ways are getting spooky.
Jujhar Khaira potted his first career NHL goal which is always a nice bonus on the night. It also helped to add some much needed secondary scoring to the game that this team has been desperately lacking lately. The Leon Draisaitl goal… well that is just what we come to expect from that top line now. Beautiful.
On the backend the Oilers did a great job of limiting Coyotes’ chances, with the lone fault coming on the Power Play. Arizona was only able to manage 4 shots over the final 20.
Cam Talbot was excellent again tonight with 20 saves and a .952 save percentage.
Player of the Game
This is a bit of an unusual pick, but tonight’s player of the game goes to Adam Larsson. He was outstanding tonight, coming in as a game time decision and inserting a dominant play for all 22:48 of his ice time.
Larsson marked up the stat board up with an assist, a shot on goal, 2 hits and 4 blocked shots.
This is a really fine defender that Edmonton has on their hands, and as someone who loves watching the defence, he has been very enjoyable to watch.
Up Next: A Visit from the Man Who Doesn’t Age
Jaromir Jagr and the Florida Panthers will head into Rogers Place for their first and only trip to Edmonton on Wednesday night at 7:30. The Oilers will be looking to secure their 25th victory of the season, while at the same time extending their win streak to 4 games.
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