Well there it is folks. The Oilers started the season with a bang. Apparently there was some big ceremony at Rogers Place, but plebs like me weren’t allowed in, so I can’t really comment on any of the pregame pageantry. If you were watching the game from home, you probably heard about Auston Matthews making NHL history tonight and scoring 4 goals in his 1st regular season game. I doubt McDavid even heard about it until after he was finished with the Flames, but he did an admirable job of staying in the headlines, finishing with 2 goals and an assist on the night.
It was a bit of a wild one, with both teams shaking off some rust and special teams taking center stage.
Game Summary:
1st period
The 1st period opened up well for the Oilers, with Patrick Maroon scoring around 2 minutes into the frame. The Oilers seemed to be controlling the play, until Alex Chiasson replied seconds later to knot it up at 1-1.
The Oilers owned the 1st for the most part, but weren’t without there flaws. Lucic looked shaky early. Although he was laying the body, he was frequently out of sync with his line mates in the offensive zone, which resulted in a few turnovers for the Lucic – McDavid – Eberle line.
I’ve been hard on Tyler Pitlick (for years, really), so naturally he made a strong individual effort in the offensive zone to pot a goal and make it 2-1 with about 14 minutes left in the 1st. Pitlick had a great period, with some flashes here and there in the latter portions of the game, but this would be the most significant highlight of his night.
Zack Kassian would later tally with 5 minutes left in the period on a breakaway from a sweet stretch pass from Oscar Klefbom to make it 3-1 after 20. While the Oilers were in control of the period, there were occasional stretches where the Flames pushed back, putting shots on a very sketchy looking Talbot. If there was one part about this game that worried me the most (outside of the special teams), it was Cam Talbot. The Oilers NEED him to be rock solid if they want a crack at the postseason, and while Talbot eked out a win for his team, he didn’t look confident doing so. It’s only one game, so far too early to panic, but Talbot needs to be stronger with his positioning and form.
2nd Period
The Flames essentially took over the 2nd period and they did so quickly, as the Oilers took a penalty early. While the Oilers managed to kill off their second PK of the night, they’d subsequently give up 2 short handed goals. The Power play was absolutely miserable all night, and if it wasn’t for McDavid being McDavid, they would have exited the 2nd period down a goal instead of up 2.
By my eye, Sekera struggled terribly in the 2nd, and was a key factor in both the short handed goals against. The Oilers were extremely lucky to be in the game at this point, as the Flames continued to gift them powerplay opportunities and eventually a McDavid penalty shot (for which he’d make them pay):
McDavid on a penalty shot is kinda not fair. pic.twitter.com/1cWbVATqEo
— NHL (@NHL) October 13, 2016
Sekera would finish the 2nd with a bad penalty of his own with around 2 minutes left, which the Oilers would kill off (in large part thanks to an exceptional effort by Ryan Nugent Hopkins).
3rd period
The Oilers opened the frame with yet another early power play that they would fail to capitalize on. While McDavid looked dangerous 5v4, the Flames did a great job of limiting his options and pressuring the Oilers at the point, often forcing the Oil offside, and rendering the 2nd power play unit essentially useless. The flames would go on to take YET ANOTHER PENALTY, and if it wasn’t for the Oilers dismal play with the man advantage, the score could have been much more lopsided. Jesse Puljujarvi (who was relatively quiet for most of the game) would capitalize on a terrible turnover by the flames to score his first goal in his first NHL game.
Jordan Eberle would finish the game for the Oilers with an empty netter.
Random Thoughts:
-I thought Lucic struggled mightily. While he was throwing hits and fought Deryk Engelland after a hit on McDavid, he was often slower than his line mates, and occasionally found himself in the way during the puck cycle in the offensive zone. I don’t think Lucic is a write off by any means, but he needs to find ways to contribute if he expects to stay on McDavid’s line.
-I REALLY liked Adam Larsson’s game. I’ve been a very vocal critic of the Hall trade, and while I still feel the Oilers overpaid, I am warming up quickly to Larsson’s defensive game. While I prefer a defenseman who maintains possession of the puck as often as possible, Larsson does an excellent job of limiting shot attempts with simple plays when he’s under pressure by the oppositions forecheck (something the Oilers have struggled with for ages).
-Jesse Puljujarvi remains an enigma to me. His size and potential are obvious, but he has a tendency to disappear for large portions of the game. His raw talent shows up in flashes, and I’m not convinced he’s ready for primetime yet. He has a bright future ahead of him, I’m just not certain the NHL is the best place for him at present.
-The Oilers NEED to improve their power play. Like most Oiler fans, I thought the addition of McDavid and the guidance of Todd McLellan would translate to a boost in the power play standings. The opposite has been true, and the team doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell at a playoff birth if they fail to fix this issue.
-The RNH line had a somewhat troubling game. While Nuge was typically reliable defensively, he seemed to be struggling in the offensive zone, often times trying to do too much himself or forcing plays that simply weren’t there.
-I liked Davidson and Nurse. There was some panic in this pairing early on, but I felt they settled in nicely as the game progressed.
-Maybe it’s just me, but I thought Sekera had an awful game. For all the flak the Kris Russell signing took from some, he seemed to be the least of the Oilers problems on the back end this evening. Maybe it’s just the pairing, or the sides they are playing on, but Sekera did not look comfortable to me (and on some plays seemed far too comfortable to rush the puck up the ice during dangerous situations).
-Patrick Maroon continues to impress me. He had a look on McDavid’s line while Lucic was in the box for fighting, and while I think he could have made better use of that time, I believe he deserves another opportunity there.
All in all, a highly entertaining evening of hockey (unless you’re a Flames fan), and hopefully the Oilers can address their special teams sufficiently before they play Calgary again on Friday.
Cheers, Oiler fans!
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