Oilers Postgame: Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay

Just a couple hours from San Jose, nestled around the corner of the Golden Gate Bridge’s north end, sits a little (but wealthy) city named Sausalito. Its position, a hot spot for hippies in the 1960’s, is located directly on the San Francisco Bay. For those who have been there, and have had a moment to sit and stare out towards the water, the magnitude of its beauty will be immediately understood.

An interesting fact about this small city is that Otis Redding, a man with a beautiful voice that passed way too soon, wrote his most famous hit, “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” while reflecting on his life, looking out into the ocean from the shores of Sausalito.

I find the song very fitting for the Oilers current placement. Consider this opinion on the meaning behind it.

“It’s understandable that Redding was in a reflective place when he conceived the song…Over the preceding six months, his life and work had taken huge steps…it’s hard to believe that Redding looked out over the lapping waves of the San Francisco Bay with anything other than satisfaction, the sort of contentment that comes with all things being in their place” – source.

The Oilers, although not complete in their mission, had to have headed into San Jose with some sense of satisfaction. Having just defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-0, and in the process climbing within 2 points of first place in the Pacific, they had further cemented their status as a legitimate contender. For them, the journey to the Bay in late January, ahead of another short break in the schedule, is a chance for them to be satisfied with their process, content -to an extent- with their climb back into the upper echelon of the NHL, and the opportunity for them to advance even further with a win against the black and teal.

However, there was one luxury that Otis Redding had when he stared into the blue, that the Oilers wouldn’t be lucky enough to dodge. Mr. Redding never had to venture into those waves and swim with the Sharks. The Oilers would, and too much contentment would most definitely bite them. With that, let’s take our look at how the game played out.

1st Period

• The Oilers don’t tend to start games well, whereas the Sharks start games very well (they are one of the best 1st period teams in the league). This mismatch lead to a goal by the Sharks off a nice rush only 4 minutes in. A failure to get the puck in deep by Matt Benning was the main culprit on the play. 1-0 Sharks.
• Following that goal, the Sharks continued to be dominant. The shot clock may have been even at 7 a little over hallway through the 1st, but that did not tell the whole story. It was clearly a dominant 10 minutes from the home team.
• Patrick Maroon completely steamrolled Ryan Carpenter of the Sharks following a post-whistle scrum where Carpenter got in a little too close on Talbot. Holy man did he get smashed.
• The Oilers needed a late goal and with only 5 seconds left in the frame, they got one! No, it wasn’t pretty, but Andrej Sekera’s marker counts just the same. A heavy forecheck by Maroon and a McDavid helper are to thank for the tie game, 1-1.

EQUALIZER! #EDMvsSJS pic.twitter.com/NrR9MSEADn

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 27, 2017

Well, that was not a pretty period. Official shots may have read 10-9 in favour of the Oil, but in no way did that describe the story. Edmonton was easily doubled-up in terms of shot attempts, and definitely lost the battle in terms of shot danger.

Patrick Maroon was outstanding, however, and thanks in large part to his ability to forecheck like a bulldozer, this game is tied after 20. He would need to motivate his teammates for better play in the final 40.

2nd Period

• The Oilers failed to generate a shot through the first 7 minutes of the 2nd… not exactly the bounce back one would be hoping for in the middle frame. The Oilers had more zone time than they did to start the 1st, but no danger to accompany it.
• A Sharks Power Play near the middle of the period could have really put the squeeze on the Oilers if it resulted in a goal. Thankfully, the Oilers were able to kill it off. No shots in the period for the Oilers, 10 minutes in.
• The Sharks would get another Power Play opportunity later in the frame, but once again the Oilers would come up with a clutch kill. Not only that, but the Oilers would actually generate 2 shots on the kill, as opposed to 0 by the Sharks. Would that be the momentum they needed…?
• Looked like it could be! Late in the period, the Oilers would get their own Power Play opportunity and Andrej Sekera would score again, this time with a rocket from the point. Draisaitl would pick up the assist on Andrej’s 7th goal of the year. Nice screen in front by Lucic, it was 2-1 Oilers.

SEKERA'S SECOND! 🚀 #EDMvsSJS pic.twitter.com/88Az3q5JFc

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 27, 2017

The Oilers once again started the period pretty poorly, failing to register a shot until 13 minutes in, but it appeared that after the 2 big penalty kill, things really kicked into gear for Edmonton. To close the period, the Oilers would register 7 of the final 9 shots and score a go ahead goal. Big change from the beginning.

The Oilers closed out the game respectably last night in Anaheim, could they do the same tonight?

3rd Period

• Adam Larsson took a 4 minute penalty less than 60 seconds in, which once again could have proved costly, if not disastrous. As had been the theme of the night though, Edmonton once again found a way to kill off the entire man advantage.
• Not only was Talbot spectacular on the penalty kill, but in the few plays following it, Talbot came up with multiple outstanding saves. McDavid is this team’s MVP, but boy oh boy, Talbot has to be at least co-MVP, doesn’t he?
• Halfway through the 3rd, which contained a man advantage of the Oilers own, and Edmonton was at least not being dominated in their end, as was the case in portions earlier. Good news for a team trying to show maturity, and an ability to hold a lead.
• Yes Jerry Seinfeld, you do have to love the Drake! Caggiula, the rookie, with 8 minutes remaining in the game would come flying down the wing and deliver a gorgeous wrist shot to put the Oilers up 3-1. That’s his 4th of the year.

Way to go @drakecaggiula pic.twitter.com/ba2A62HzDb

— VisuallyBetter (@Isuckatpicking) January 27, 2017

• And to close out the game, Connor McDavid would pick up his 17th goal of the season on an empty netter, after being sprung by Leon Draisaitl. For both gentlemen, it was their second point on the night. There would be no further response from the Sharks.

Final Score: Oilers 4 – Sharks 1

Postgame Thoughts

Let’s do a quick run down of some stats, shall we?

• The Edmonton Oilers, they are 7-0-1 in their last 8 games.
• The Edmonton Oilers, on a back to back in California, swept both games, a task they haven’t done since 2008.
• The Edmonton Oilers, on this sweep, outscored their 2 main divisional rivals 8-1 over the pair of contests.
• The Edmonton Oilers, going into the All Star break, on what is now January 26th, have 28 wins, and a total of 64 points.

But perhaps the best feat, the most impressive accomplishment, the most outstanding of them all is the fact that following 51 games of Oilers hockey, they sit tied atop the Pacific Division. That is beautiful. An actual accomplishment to be proud of. This team has improved profoundly, and heading into this little break, we can all take some time to truly reflect on just how far the organization has come. Success. Real success. Success that at this point looks to be unravelling in a path right into the spring. Embrace it, Edmonton.

Back to the actual game that took place this evening. Of course, if you watched the tilt, it was clear that the scoreboard surely isn’t indicative of all of the events that transpired in the game. The Oilers, in more than a few portions of the game, were soundly outplayed. Thanks mostly to Cam Talbot, the Oilers willingness to block as many shots as possible, and maybe a horse shoe or two on Edmonton’s bench, a loss would not be a reality for Edmonton.

But tonight’s execution was to be expected. The Oilers had just come off playing a rather heavy game against Anaheim the night before, and as was showcased on the broadcast, their arrival into the Bay area was a late one. By the 3rd period, the fatigue was noticeable, but the effort to battle was still there. The Oilers refused to quit.

Edmonton also capitalized on what opportunities they did get, and should be commended for that. Their first goal came off of a hard working shift that developed into a scoring opportunity. Their second goal was on a Power Play chance that they worked hard to get after killing off 2 earlier penalties. And the third goal came off an sharp transition from the Drake. The Oilers took advantage of what the Sharks gave them and it won them the game. Good teams find a way to do that.

I’ll save my praise for the Oilers netminder below, but he really was the story of the game tonight. #33 is delivering a level of goaltending nightly that hasn’t been seen in these parts since 2006. More below…

The Oilers will now head into a much needed break where everyone except McDavid will take a break from the ice. This will be the second last break for Edmonton, the other being the CBA mandated 5 day break, before the final stretch drive kicks in. It only gets better from here.

Players of the Game

Two players will get recognized tonight, and it won’t be a surprise or shock to anyone.

1. Cam Talbot: He comes off a shutout last night to backstop a team that was tired, with a .970 save percentage. He made multiple highlight-reel saves this evening while only giving up a single, early goal. Calm Cam is simply incredible. Enjoy the rest over the break.
2. Andrej Sekera: 23:40 of ice time, 2 goals, 2 blocked shots, 3 shots on goal, and a whopping 3:54 on a penalty kill that didn’t surrender a Power Play goal. He now has 24 points on the year.

Andre "Seksy" Sekera is 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/W7Xh9O4HF9

— Canada2K (@Canada2K) January 27, 2017

Up Next: The All Star Break!

A weekend off for most, except for the NHL’s very best. Watch Connor win the fastest skater on Saturday and maybe catch some 3 on 3 hockey on Sunday if that is your sort of thing. If not, enjoy one of the last weekend without Oilers hockey for the next few months. This ride is about to get wild.