Final Score: Oilers 5 – Ducks 3
I wasn’t going to post this, but due to Getzlaf and Kesler acting like supreme asshats to close the game, I think it is fitting. This one, is just for them:
Holy crap. If tonight’s tilt is any indication (and it is) of what to expect in this series, we can expect curse words, gritted teeth, and busted coffee tables to skyrocket in Edmonton over the next little while. In comparison, the series against the Sharks seemed like a friendly match in soccer. Of course, I guess that is to be expected with some of the “special characters” that the Ducks have in their lineup. And by “special characters”, I mean insufferable tools.
Expect rage for this one, and lots of it.
In terms of the actual hockey being played, tonight was a great night for the Oilers. Starting the second round on the road in Anaheim, against a team full of those… “special characters”… is no easy task, but the Oilers handled it very well. This was in no way like the first game of Round 1, where the Oilers were toyed with by the Sharks for much of the game before eventually losing.
No, tonight was a much, much closer affair. In fact, if I was a person that dabbled in wagering on series length, I’d be quite happy if I picked the 7 game total on this one.
It's 1-1 after two. Shots 20-20. It's closer than the score would indicate.
— Terry Jones (@byterryjones) April 27, 2017
The 1st period shaped up much like the opening round of a MMA fight (which is pretty fitting). A lot of feeling out, some mind games (the McDavid double-change), a few jabs back and forth, but nothing substantial really landed. That was, until about a minute or so into the 2nd.
The Ducks, and Ryan Getzlaf specifically, would strike with the series’ first goal to start the period. Riding high on an undeserved penalty call to Anton Slepyshev late in the 1st, Getzlaf would be gifted way too much open ice, and with it, Anaheim would jump out to a lead.
All square thanks to Mark Letestu. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/Hfx053UMXa
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) April 27, 2017
Despite that early jab, the Oilers didn’t wither or falter, they stood in strong, and dealt one back of their own just 5 minutes later. Mark Letestu, the swiss army knife of the Edmonton Oilers, found the twine on a Oilers man advantage and it would be even standing once again, for the remainder of the 2nd.
Milan Lucic coming through pic.twitter.com/xLa0TqqUGe
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 27, 2017
The 3rd… well the 3rd is where the punches really started to fly. Again, like a fight in the octagon, the fighters, getting tired of feeling each other out, can sometimes decide to let loose a little and unleash a rapid series of blows, hoping to land the decisive shot. For the Oilers, it would be Mark Letestu again, followed by Adam Larsson just a minute or so later, that would deliver two distinctive strikes, right to the gut of Anaheim.
Draisaitl finds the trailer Larsson, who snipes it home pic.twitter.com/KlBRnRwyXo
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 27, 2017
With half the clock peeled away in the 3rd, and a 2 goal lead on the score clock, it looked as though Edmonton’s completed the job. Not so fast. As the Oilers learned against the playoff-experienced Sharks, it ain’t over, till it’s over. The Sharks would almost immediately respond with a pair of quick goals themselves, coming within a minute and a half of one another, to tie the game back up. For Anaheim, it would be Eaves and Silfverberg doing the punching.
And yet again, both teams found themselves toe to toe, in the centre of the ring. With the momentum firmly in the corner of the Ducks, and home ice in their advantage, it would have been understandable to feel as though Edmonton was on wobbly legs.
I guess it’s a good thing that they have Adam Freaking Larsson. The man, mountain, and rock, on a play that strangely resembled his traded counterpart (because of course it did), found the net on a fortunate bounce to swing yet another haymaker at Anaheim in his team’s favour.
Honestly the best part of that play was Larsson pushing for the controlled entry instead of dumping it at the red line. Honestly good work!
— WheatNOil (@WheatNOil) April 27, 2017
Clearly, Adam Larsson does not follow the laws of momentum. That game winner would come just 4 minutes following the Ducks tying marker. Leon Draisaitl would follow that up with an empty net tally, his 4th of the night, to put the final nail in the coffin.
The Oilers may be young, but for what they have showed so far in these playoffs, they have the resolve of even the most veteran of teams at times. Tonight, in their response to the Ducks late period surge, they showed it. And they showed it in a very big way.
The top line found success, the defence (Larsson and Klef in particular) played very strong, and Talbot, despite one stinker, did his part to get the win.
Patrick Maroon bounced back with 2 points, Lucic was a physical force, Nuge and Ebs continued to do their part defensively, and Nurse stood out (although the numbers may disagree), to name a few.
The Oilers take game one, battle one, and immediately strip away the Ducks home ice advantage; but, playoff series are not won on the first night. It all depends on what the Oilers can do with this early advantage.
There is no doubt, however, that early on, thing look not so bad in Disneyland.
Oilers Players of the Game
Adam Larsson. He was a killer defensively, and added 2 goals, with 1 being the game winner, and an assist, to put about 15 exclamation points on his evening. He only played a touch over 18 minutes, but every second of his play was meaningful. That is 2 straight games of exceptional play for the Oilers number one right-hander.
Adam Larsson’s second goal of the game isn’t pretty but it gives the Oilers a late lead pic.twitter.com/E6h4VK3IaM
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 27, 2017
Leon Draisaitl: Couldn’t keep him off the list tonight. 4 points, 20 minutes of ice time, and he looked lethal all evening long. Clearly, he has not slowed down AT ALL from his late play against the Sharks.
10 Takeaways
1. According to the broadcast, Draisaitl has factored in with 7 points on the last 11 oilers goal. He started slow in these playoffs, but has rebounded in a massive way.
2. Seriously, Draisaitl is damn good:
Leon Draisaitl is the first #Oilers player Age 21 or younger to record 4 points in a playoff game since Wayne Gretzky on Apr 10, 1982
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) April 27, 2017
3. Adam Larsson scored 4 goals in the regular season. He halved that tonight. Additionally, he had never scored in back to back games in his career, let alone scoring twice in the same game. Playoffs produce unexpected heroes, that is for sure. We knew he could be a killer behind the blue, it was a welcome sight to see him provide on the attack as well.
4. Larsson will get a lot of love tonight, and it is very deserved, but Klefbom deserves a nod of respect as well. Aside from maybe the 3rd goal where gap positioning came into question, I thought he played incredibly structured and sound defensively, which helped keep the Ducks to the outside for much of his 22 minutes of ice time. He is a stud.
5. The Oilers got boosted a bit thanks to a 5 on 3, and really it was a 5 on 2.5 thanks to a broken stick, but to go 2/5 on the man advantage is an encouraging start to the series. The Ducks took the most penalties in the regular season, so even if the refs are inconsistent, the power play opportunities will come. Edmonton taking advantage of those will be a significant contributor to a series win.
6. Never change, Oilers fans.:
You can hear the "Let's Go Oilers!" chants from outside Randy Carlyle's press conference. Savage.
— Julie Stewart-Binks (@JSB_TV) April 27, 2017
7. Couldn’t agree more with Ray Ferraro here…
1) people saying that more penalties should be called in Oilers gm..that's what happens when you "let the players play" dumbs the game down!
— Ray Ferraro (@rayferraro21) April 27, 2017
2) this is why they need to call rule book
— Ray Ferraro (@rayferraro21) April 27, 2017
8. Cam Talbot made 31 saves on the night, good for a .917 save %. He was good, although as mentioned, he would love to have the 3rd one back. As much as you want your goalie to be unbeatable, it is nice every once in a while to see your team win without the need of terrific goaltending.
9. After the 1st period where lime matching was a significant story, it seemed to be less of a factor, with both coaches opting to just let it play out, more or less. Makes sense from Anaheim’s perspective, as the Kesler-McDavid matchup didn’t fair nearly as good as he probably expected.
10. During intermission, the panel speculated that McDavid may be working through an injury. Admittedly, he does look a little off. What are your thoughts?
Up Next: Anaheim Again, Friday Night
We do it all over again on Friday night, once again in Anaheim. An Oilers win, with both on the road, would be a significant stranglehold on the series. I’d expect the Ducks to come out with a significant amount of piss and vinegar in response to tonight.
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