Oilers Postgame: No More Singin’ the Blues

The Oilers entered the final night of February in St. Louis for a game against the Blues, to officially close off the season long road trip. The trip, rewarding in some aspects, gruelling and cruel in others, has more than met the standard of being a “mixed bag”. Paired right alongside with the glee of winning in Chicago and Florida, has been equaling frustrating nights in Tampa and Nashville. Squeezed in between all that was an encouraging, yet ultimately non-rewarding evening spent in Washington.

To make matters more anxious, the teams directly on the heels of the Oilers, the Flames and Kings, have spent the last couple games gathering points, to build in their chase for the postseason.

With the rear view mirror becoming more concerning, and a tad too many unacceptable games in the near past, the Oilers entered into the game looking for two things: redemption and a bit of breathing room. A win, and a trip that had its fair share of disappointment, suddenly doesn’t look that bad.

With Kevin Shattenkirk traded away, and a pair of tweaks to the Oilers lineup, could Edmonton pull off a win on the eve of trade deadline day? Let’s take a look and see.

1st Period

• Not much at all occurred through 5 minutes in the game, with perhaps the only notable stat being that Edmonton was lading in hits to that point, 8-1. The Oilers and their penchant for physicality have been a common theme all year… that still feels weird to say.
• After a few more minutes of snoozefest hockey, the Oilers would get a penalty and give up a shorthanded goal AGAIN. This penalty kill continues to be atrocious and this time it was due to an uncovered Paul Statsny in front of the net, tipping one home. By my eye, a lack of aggression and stick work is giving the opposing team’s power play way too much time, space and options. This needs to be addressed immediately.
• But getting it right back would be Milan Lucic with a big goal to tie it up! The marker, which was a big slap shot while streaking in on the left wing, resembled the classic Smytty clapper that we used to see so often. Jordan Eberle picked up the helper. 1-1 game.

Lucic ties it up quickly after, 1-1 #EDMvsSTL #Oilers pic.twitter.com/21i2qe33wq

— abirdofparadise (@ubirdofparadise) March 1, 2017

• That Milan Lucic goal would be a massive spark for the team, as the Oilers took immediate control over the game, dominating the pace of play. Excellent response!
• It was at this point that the news of the Davidson for Desharnais trade broke. There is the trade that Oilers have been waiting for. Stay tuned to the Oilers Rig for analysis on the move in the coming days.
• Edmonton would come dangerously close to scoring on a 5 on 3 late in the period. That opportunity would carry into the next period, final shots after 20 were 10-6 Oilers.

The start of this game did not look pretty at all. The Oilers looked slow off the hop, generating very little, and it lead to them being down early. Thankfully, a Lucic goal sparked the team, and they responded with a dominating second half. Great news for a team that was likely down on themselves following Sunday night’s loss.

2nd Period

• That was an excellent start for the Oilers! Immediately in the period, they took advantage of their 5 on 3 chance to give themselves the lead, 2-1. Mark Letestu would get the go-ahead tally with assists coming from McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. What a year for Letestu as he continues to be a force on the power play.

Mark Letestu put the #Oilers up 2-1 early in the middle frame with his 13th of the season, 8th on the PP. #EDMvsSTL pic.twitter.com/doWNI4SzHS

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 1, 2017

• One thing that was very noticeable in this game, as evidenced in my point about the hits in the 1st period, was the Oilers commitment to finishing every check. It appears that the coaches have made this a priority, and that is an excellent habit to get into going into the playoffs. Finishing your checks add up very quickly in a 7 game series, and the Oilers ability to wear down the opposition will be a major plus.
• It was also nice to see Lucic stick up for Nugent-Hopkins, with a fight against Bertuzzo, after the Blues defenceman nailed him with a big hit. Despite what some may say, actions like that do have meaning.
• I remain stubborn that Slepyshev is a terrific addition to this lineup, every time he suits up. I love his work in the on the boards in the forecheck, and wish he wasn’t scratched as much as he has been.
• The period would close with a few, not-so-dangerous chances exchanged both ways, capping shots after 40 at 19-16 Edmonton.

Although not quite as good of a period as the 1st, the Oilers gained the lead early and were able to hold on to it for the entire 20 minutes. Talbot was looking sharp, everyone was involved physically, and we even had a successful penalty kill, woo-hoo! Another period like that and the Oilers would have themselves a nice, ol’ win.

3rd Period

• Nearly half way through the period, and the ice was definitely titled in the Oilers end. The Blues hadn’t scored, but with Edmonton losing the shot battle 7-3 just 9 minutes in, the Oilers weren’t necessarily locking it down.
• One particularly egregious stat, shown on the broadcast, was to that point in the game, the Oilers had 8 giveaways, compared to 0 by the Blues. That stat isn’t always 100% accurate, but the difference is enough to showcase some of the sloppiness that was leading to offensive zone time for the Blues.
• Nugent-Hopkins displayed some excellent speed late in the period to turn a rather harmless looking rush into a very dangerous scoring opportunity. An electric and dangerous Nugent-Hopkins would be such a bonus for this team in the final month and a half of the season.
• The final 5 minutes would be a lot better than the first, with the Oilers showing a bit more resilience, and with that fight-back, would come a hard fought victory!

Final Score: Oilers 2 – Blues 1

The end may not have been pretty, but following a pair of games that were very close, the Oilers will take it. It should also be considered that, even though Edmonton relied a bit too much on their goaltender in the final frame, the majority of this game was well-played.

It was an extremely tight checking affair, and one where the Oilers more than held their own in the physical department. They had 29 hits, forechecked well for the most part, and didn’t give up so many chances to the point where we are calling this a pure-luck win. Against a big, central opponent, this is a big stride of confidence as the Oilers set their sights on the playoffs.

The official shot clock may have been close, with only 1 shot separating the teams, but I am sure that shot attempts more than favoured the Blues. This is especially evident when looking at blocked shots, where the Oilers lead the Blues 13-6. Yes, you don’t want to be outshot on too many nights, but when finishing off a 6 game road trip, fatigue is to be expected. The blocked shots at least show that, on a night when the Oilers were giving up a bit too much on the exterior, they were at least getting to the interior to take shooting lanes away.

On the offensive side of the puck, the McDavid trio had some really strong moments, particularly late in the 1st when they were instrumental in the Oilers taking over the game. It is no wonder why getting a 3rd line centre was a priority for Chiarelli, as the Draisaitl and McDavid partnership continues to build and improve with chemistry.

As for the supposed doghouse line of Nugent-Hopkins, Eberle, and Lucic, they have shown quite the opposite being in the doghouse over the last few games. Nugent-Hopkins, with 2 assists on the night, continues to regain his form, as his linemates are starting to jockey themselves out of their season long slumps. Eberle picked himself up an assist and Milan Lucic a goal.That is 2 points each in their last 2.

For Lucic, he added a fight on the evening to stand up for his centreman, which to Nugent-Hopkins will mean a lot. If this line can continue to succeed, Chiarelli, McLellan, and all Oilers fans will be able to sleep a bit more soundly.

The bottom 6 continued to do what they have been doing well for a while now, which is forecheck hard, hit with force, and overall, provide some headaches for the opposition. I particularly liked the addition of Slepyshev into the lineup in place of Caggiula. Desharnais and his speed and scrappiness should be a welcome addition into the fold.

On defence, the ice time was relatively balanced throughout, with Klefbom once again leading the squad in playing time with 23:48. Larsson regained a good chunk of his time, and Nurse, in only his 2nd game back, looked much better. The Nurse/Gryba pairing was a force in particular, with a combined 11 hits on the evening.

The Blues did not have an even strength goal to show on the evening, and obviously in addition to the D, Cam Talbot had a lot to say on that. More on him in a bit.

Overall, the game was majority positive, with the fatigued Oilers finding a way to win a 1 goal game. At the end of the longest road trip of the season, that is beautiful. Edmonton did even more to solidify their playoff chances with their victory tonight, and not only that, swept the season series against the Blues!

I remember attending a game against the Blues just 2 years ago, where the Oilers were spanked 6-2. I recalled thinking that day that the rebuild was a forever process and that the Oilers were a million miles away from competing with the Blues.

I was wrong.

Oilers Players of the Game

Two players get the honour tonight:

• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 2 assists, was fast on the forecheck, generated a few good chances, and overall, bolstered a line that continues to get better. I am confident that in this stretch he will show us exactly why he deserves to stay on this team.
• Cam Talbot: An arguable Oilers MVP for the season, Talbot got his team the win in the 3rd when he needed to stand tall. He has been a wall for this team, and tonight he grabbed himself his 32nd win of the season. His evening concluded with 25 saves and a .962 save percentage.

Up Next: Trade Deadline and A Bit of Time Off

The Oilers made one trade tonight, do they have any more in them tomorrow? I guess we shall see. While Chia works the phones, the Oilers will get their first of three days off, ahead of Saturday night matchup against the Red Wings at home.

We are officially in March ladies in gentlemen! Only a few games to go and things are looking very good in Edmonton. As spring starts to creep into the city, be ready to engage fully for the playoffs. If attending the game on Saturday, be ready to be loud. This final month will be electric.