Oilers Postgame: Close… But No Cigar

If you ask me, and probably most other observers, there is no opponent currently in the NHL that is more daunting than the Washington Capitals. Owners of the best record in the league, Washington looks destined to take home the President’s Trophy for the second straight year, and that in large part is due to their dominance at home. Coming into tonight, Washington had won a whopping 12 straight games at home. Even crazier is that over the past 11 of those games, the Capitals had scored at least 5 goals. Holy crap.

Luckily (not at all), the Oilers would get the opportunity to walk into D.C. on this fine evening and attempt to be the first team of 2017 to try and buck both of those trends. In a mix of good and bad news, Edmonton would still be without one of their best defenders in Adam Larsson, but amazingly (probably due to all the candles we lit) Andrej Sekera would be good to go.

After a big win against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday, the pressure off of this tilt had been lifted a bit. More than anything, this would be an opportunity for the Oilers to showcase to themselves, and the rest of the league, just exactly where they stand with the elite teams of the league. Would the Orange and Blue shine against the best, or would this be another faltered test in their drive for undoubted legitimacy? Let’s take a look and see.

If you happened to miss the OilersRig pre game it can be found here.

1st Period

• Throughout the first 5 minutes, the Oilers were not only doing a good job of defending the Washington offence, but they themselves were getting a decent amount of offensive zone time. Against a team that starts games as well as the Capitals do, even just outshooting them 3-2 a few minutes in is a bright beginning.
• It should be noted that the good early start wasn’t just the McDavid line, but rather, the energy was present in all 4 lines. You have to love it when the entire team comes out and looks committed to getting the win.
• McDavid is ridiculous.

Plenty of chances but no goals yet! #EDMvsWSH pic.twitter.com/Y2Xe1HtiHM

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 25, 2017

• That good energy, however, would transfer into the opposite of what the Oilers had hoped, with Washington scoring first. Sekera provided a pretty big, unintentional screen on Talbot, who was beat with a wrister from the top of the circle. Very effective zone entry as well, 1-0 Caps.
• According to Reid Wilkins, that goal made it the 43rd time in 60 games that Washington has scored first this season. Wow.
• The Capitals had an excellent chance to build on their momentum with a power play, but due to some very effective penalty killing, and a painful blocked shot by Gryba, Edmonton was able to shut it down. Washington is so good that a goal there could have been the game.
• The period would conclude with pockets of pressure exchanged by both teams, but Edmonton lead the shot clock, 16-11. Washington stayed in front where it mattered though, 1-0.

Aside from a few minutes of discombobulation and Washington pressure, the Oilers actually compiled a pretty impressive road period. That is especially true when you consider the utter dominance that the Capitals have had in the first 20 throughout the year.

It was a difficult result, with the Oilers geeing down a goal despite the lead in shots, but the process was encouraging. Continued pressure, a little bit more of a net front presence on their shots, and the Oilers were set up well for a chance in D.C..

2nd Period

• What a fabulous start to the period for the Oilers! Following a quick and efficient forecheck by the top line, Leon Draisaitl would capitalize on a turnover in the slot to tie the game at 1. Neon Leon is money.

DRAI SNIPE! 🎯 #EDMvsWSH pic.twitter.com/tPgYzhke31

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 25, 2017

• One thing that was apparent in the Panthers game, and again tonight, was the effectiveness of the 4th line of Khaira, Hendricks, and Pakarinen. Through 2 periods it was pretty clear that their energetic, heavy forecheck, was giving the Capitals trouble. That is exactly what you want from your bottom 3.
• 10 minutes into the 2nd, and the Capitals had completely taken over the game. The Oilers had one exceptionally long sequence in their own end, where if not for some bad Washington luck, some key shot blocks, and desperate stick work, the Capitals would have surely regained the lead. That was a massive bullet dodged.
• The Oilers actually responded to that, not with bowed heads, but instead a fierce offensive shift of their own. That is what we like to see!
• 35 minutes in and it was clear that this was one heckuva hockey game. Tremendous energy coupled with back and forth action. Just amazing to see.
• Another exciting 20 minutes of action would conclude, with the Oilers once again officially outshooting the Capitals 8-7 in the period (24-18 in the game).

The Oilers may have had the lead on the “official” shots for that period, but for that 20, Washington definitely had the edge on zone time and shot attempts. In saying that, the Oilers did a pretty good job of finding ways to get in the way of Washington’s shooters, either with the body or with the stick, to help limit the amount of rubber that actually hit the net. It may not be pretty, but sometimes that is what you need to do to win.

The biggest takeaway of the period was the Oilers response to the dominating shift by Washington halfway through the period. If the Oilers could find a way to muster even a single point on the evening, that response right there would be looked at as a huge turning point.

3rd Period

• Early on in the 3rd, the broadcast team mentioned that the Capitals, going into the period, had a +30 goal differential in the final farm throughout the season. A win for the Oilers would be a monumental task.
• The Oilers were forced to kill off an early penalty taken by Eric Gryba, which was absolutely massive against the Capitals potent power play, which currently operates at 22%. Caggiula had a breakaway late in the kill, but would miss the net. That was unfortunate because…
• The Capitals would score shortly following their man advantage opportunity. A Justin Williams snapshot from the half board would catch the top corner to put Washington ahead 2-1.
• 10 minutes into the game, with the Oilers still down a goal, McLellan bumped up Khaira for a shift on the McDavid line. Not an entirely surprising move considering how well Khaira had been moving his legs all night.
• The Oilers would mount some pressure at the end with the net empty, but it would not prove to be enough, leading to the Oilers 21st regulation loss of the season. Final shots, 31-26 Edmonton.

Final Score: Capitals 2 – Oilers 1

I would find it really difficult for anyone watching that game to be disappointed from an Oilers perspective. Sure, a win would have been nice, or even an extra point for an overtime affair would have been deserved, but sometimes you just lose. Close… but no cigar.

The Washington Capitals had come into tonight’s game, as noted above, having scored 5+ goals in their last 11 straight home games. The Oilers were able to hold them to 2, with one of their best defenders in the press box. That’s impressive. It’s also not like the Oilers completely lucked into only having 2 goals scored on them either. They were active in their defensive zone all night with their bodies and their sticks, they killed off 2 penalties at crucial times in the game, and for the most part found a way to badger, block, and disrupt a good portion of Washington’s attack. How noticeable was Ovechkin tonight?

I guess the overall point that I am getting at is that even though we lost, the effort that these guys put out tonight was enough to take pride and encouragement in. The same level of effort, more often than not, will net you a win in this league. Dare I say this was a… moral victory? I know, I know, we are all horrifically scarred from that term but I don’t really know what else to call it. It was a loss, but the team can leave the arena with their heads held high knowing that they just about got it done against the NHL’s best, while on the road.

What this game did demonstrate, perhaps more than any other point, is that the search remains for some secondary scoring. Don’t get me wrong, Washington was terrific in their checking tonight, barely giving the Oilers any room for the majority of 60. They really gave the Edmonton attack a headache trying to work out some form of separation from the defence. In saying that, there were moments where one can’t help but wonder how a more veteran, scoring presence couldn’t have helped.

One moment in particular, the Caggiula breakaway in the 3rd, stands out especially. If that’s say, a Martin Hanzal or Brian Boyle, maybe they get off a better shot. It’s definite;y unfair to saddle a hypothetical like that against a rookie, but I am sure that we all understand the point. A veteran centre/winger that can provide some scoring would not hurt this team at all.

One other highlight that I would like to point out is the shift, exactly halfway through the game, where Edmonton got hemmed in their own end for close to a minute and a half. Those are the types of moments where you can recognize where an Adam Larsson presence comes in extraordinarily handy. His ability to use his large frame to separate players from the pucks has been crucial all year in breaking up prolonged cycles that lead to extended zone time. The defence played good tonight, but big Adam was surely missed.

And last but not least, it should be noted how impressive it was to see this team respond after that shift with a pair of strong, offensive attacks of their own. A weaker team would have folded like a K-Mart lawn chair after getting walloped like that, but not this year’s Oilers. They responded well, nearly scored, and it was that revival that gave them a chance to win this game till the very end.

Oilers Player of the Game

I didn’t think anyone had a bad game necessarily, and a lot of players had really similar, effective efforts that sort of blended together. One player that did stand out for Edmonton was their goalie, Cam Talbot.

Talbot finished the night with a .926 save percentage and 24 saves to show, but that doesn’t really capture how effective he was this evening. In the 1st period, and in the 2nd, Cam made some very key saves to keep his team tied or within one and really hold them in there. It would have been really sweet if the team could have found a way for Talbot to get the win tonight because he deserved it.

Up Next: A Trip to the Country Capital of the World

The Oilers will make their way to Nashville for a game on Sunday against the Predators at 3 p.m. Edmonton can focus on their effort tonight as a serious positive and hopefully build on that to get them back into the win column.

A bonus is that the Capitals will be taking on the Predators tomorrow night, meaning that hopefully, the Capitals can wear out the Predators before we meet them just 24 hours later.