Not even going to tease it, tonight was just a great game that continued to push the Oilers further into a potential playoff position come spring. Against a heated opponent, with a juicy 2 points on the line, the Edmonton Oilers won in a very convincing manner to keep Edmonton’s spirits high. Let’s see how it all broke down…
1st Period
- What a start for the Oilers! Matt Hendricks gets his 2nd goal in as many games with assists from Letestu and Pakarinen, to jump Edmonton out to an early 1-0 lead.
THE HENDY MAN CAN! #PHIvsEDM pic.twitter.com/a0D9T3nfXm
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 17, 2017
- Tough first period for Adam Larsson who had a pair grade A giveaways. Very unlike the defender, who has had a very consistent season so far.
- Quality dive by Brandon Manning 15 minutes into the game. It initially looked like Lucic was the only one getting the penalty (which he did not deserve) but thankfully Manning did get called for his embellishment, which lead to…
- A goal by Neon Leon! On the ensuing 4 on 4 Power Play, Matt Benning received a feed from Nugent-Hopkins and made a gorgeous shot-pass to Draisaitl in front to put the Oilers up 2-0.
https://twitter.com/BarstoolJordie/status/832421688562302976
- Final shots in the period were 10-7 for Edmonton.
That was an excellent period for the home team. Yes, the Oilers did have a bit of a lull following the first goal, but they rallied from that, took back the game and ended up scoring another to increase their lead by 2. If not for a couple missed nets, their lead could have been even more. Excellent start for the Oilers.
2nd Period
- Bad start to the second for the Oilers. Edmonton’s inability to properly cover the man in front resulted in a goal spurring from the rush. The main culprits on the goal were Lucic and Sekera, and as a result of their missed assignment the score read 2-1 Oilers.
- Cam Talbot made a huge stop on Jakub Voracek about 7 minutes in on what would have been a massive goal for the Flyers. Thank you Talbot!
- Thats a way to respond! Jordan Eberle, following a dominant forecheck by his line, once again shook the monkey of his back with a beauty of a backhand top shelf to put the Oilers up 3-1. Connor McDavid and Patrick Maroon nabbed the helpers.
That one go in? EBSOLUTELY! #PHIvsEDM pic.twitter.com/ggo17o0AmJ
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 17, 2017
- “Another one” – DJ Khaled. Oh baby, yes the Oilers scored again, almost right after! Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, without a goal in his last 7, had a puck bounce in off of him from the point to extend the Oilers lead back to 2. Kassian and Gryba with the assists on the play, 4-1 Oilers.
Pucks on net, good things happen. #PHIvsEDM pic.twitter.com/m19WaUkqm7
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 17, 2017
- Just for that goal, Little Nugey gets to stay home from school tomorrow for an extra long weekend!
- There we go! Maroon gave Manning a pummelling 10 minutes in, and let me say… with every singly punch by the Big Rig you could just feel the pent up rage being released. It was fantastic to see this team stick up for their star, who they felt was improperly treated.
https://twitter.com/BarstoolJordie/status/832435104370872320
- Wow! An absolute blast from Oscar Klefbom puts the Oilers up 5-1. Matt Hendricks, who was bumped up to play in Maroon’s position while he served his penalty, picked up an assist as well as McDavid. That makes it 2 games in a row when the Oilers have scored at least 5 goals.
💣💥 #PHIvsEDM pic.twitter.com/POOAkKgz9Q
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 17, 2017
- Well we wouldn’t want to beat the Flyers too bad, would we? Following a pretty poor turnover by Caggiula inside the Oilers blue line, Wayne Simmonds scored to get his team within 3, 5-2 Oilers.
Another excellent period for the Oilers. An early goal and a late one for the Flyers really masked the dominant 20 minutes that this was for Edmonton. The Flyers may have outshot the Oilers, but by eye, there was no way they came close to out chancing them. As a result, Edmonton was able to pot 3 of their own, turning the score after 40 into 5-2. Another 2 points was there for the taking with only 20 minutes of respectable hockey sitting in between.
3rd Period
- The Oilers had been playing decent enough hockey to prevent the Flyers from scoring in the 3rd, until Patrick Maroon took a penalty in the first 10 minutes. On the ensuing Power Play, Brayden Schenn would score for the Flyers to make it 5-3. Very nice play by Philadelphia.
- Make it a 3 point night for Connor! Following a great transition in the neural zone and a pair of assists from Eberle and Maroon, McDavid sniped home his 19th of the year to make it 6-3 Oilers!
WHAT A SHOT! 🎯 #PHIvsEDM pic.twitter.com/ux0xQJXexa
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 17, 2017
- The Oilers would limit the Flyers from any further damage, closing the game off with the shot clock at 36-25 in favour of Philadelphia (score effects in effect), to seal off the win.
Final Score: Oilers 6 – Flyers 3
Postgame Thoughts
Well, that is about as good of a game as you could hope for going into tonight. Excess scoring? Check. Players that needed to score getting on the scoresheet? Check. Sending a message to Manning? Double check. Win? Ding ding ding ding ding ding.
The Oilers followed up their big win on Tuesday with yet another clutch victory to put this team at 70 points on the season, and restore their 9 point lead on the Flames who sit 2nd in the wild card. That is a massive 2 points for the Northern Alberta squad.
And really, there was a lot to like in this evening’s game. McDavid performed to the tune of how we all expected him to (check out the pre game prediction… pretty, pretty, pretty good), Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins got back on the scoring horse, and even the 4th line, mainly Hendricks (2 points, 7 hits), found a way to contribute.
On the backend, Klefbom once again put together a performance that will have Edmonton salivating at his future, while Matt Benning showed some keen offensive instincts, with the rest of the D-core performing well. Adam Larsson, despite some early giveaways, rallied to put up the most ice time of any d-man on the team, while going +3 on the evening. He had 3 hits on the night, while Eric Gryba had 8! Maybe that is the reason why McLellan put him in…
In the crease, Cam Talbot backstopped his team to their 31st win of the year with a .917 save percentage.
Oilers Players of the Game
- Connor McDavid: 1 goal, 2 assists, electric all night. This player has a remarkable ability to step up in heated games, and he continued that trend tonight. By far the Oilers best player on the ice.
- Patrick Maroon: 2 assists and a fight to stick up for Connor combined for a tremendous night. The Big Rig continues to cement himself in Edmontonian’s hearts.
- Matt Hendricks: Let’s be real, how often does Matty find his way into these parts. His heart was full on display, and to compliment that he got his second goal in as many games, plus an assist. 7 hits on the night were an absolute bonus against an opponent that deserved them.
Up Next: In Chi-Town on Saturday
Fresh off the heels of 2 straight wins, the Oilers will get a chance to find redemption against the Blackhawks on Saturday with a game in Chicago. If they can keep up this scoring touch and energy, they will have a terrific opportunity to extend their winning streak to 3. It’s a great time to be an Oiler fan, yes it is.
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