Well, it would seem the Oilers have come back down to earth after their hot start…
I don’t think I’m the only one that saw this coming. Although I probably will be called a pessimist for pointing it out. Anyways, is it just me or did it seem like this game took forever to get underway? I don’t know if I’ve just been spoiled lately by the Eastern Conference starts, or if it was just because it was Sunday and the game didn’t get underway until almost 8pm, but I felt like the puck was never going to drop.
Apparently, I wasn’t alone.
3 more hours.. pic.twitter.com/2hvzzpoQN6
— Kris (@TheGuyNamedKris) November 13, 2016
It wasn’t game delay material though, and the puck would eventually find it’s way onto the ice at Rogers Place. Here’s how I saw the game with some random twitter action thrown in:
1st Period:
-The Oilers would open the game without getting scored on within the first minute! Cause for celebration right? WRONG.
GAIZ… A FULL MINUTE JUST PASSED IN THE 1ST PERIOD AND THE OILERS HAVEN’T BEEN SCORED ON! pic.twitter.com/6Iw4oqjcjU
— Kjell Iverson (@KjellIverson) November 14, 2016
LMAO…
I spoke too soon.
— Kjell Iverson (@KjellIverson) November 14, 2016
#HereComeTheOilers pic.twitter.com/XPBk9ZQuv9
— Nuge’s Teddy Bear (@NugeTeddy) November 14, 2016
-After giving up a quick goal (again), the Oilers would get their opportunity to even it up with a powerplay chance 17:30 left to go. They’d cough up a 3 on 1 shorthanded chance against. Is there a stat for this? Because I feel like the Oilers have given up some of the most shorthanded chances in the NHL.
-The Oilers defense was a tire fire in the first. Giving up shorthanded chances, making costly turnovers and poor decisions, and failing to keep up with the speed of the Rangers.
-Nuge and Maroon would get a nice chance with 14:35 left after crashing the net, but couldn’t put it past Antti Raanta. This would be a persistent theme throughout the evening. I’m not sure what it is with the Oilers facing backup goalies on back to backs and failing to solve them, but Raanta stood on his head.
-I didn’t write the pregame blog and didn’t predict a win, so you can’t blame me for this one 😛
-McLellan would identify some of the issues with the defense and shake up the D-pairings at the halfway mark of the 1st. It seemed to pay off to some extent as the Oilers would out chance and out shoot the Rangers but couldn’t solve Raanta. They were having a lot of issues getting pucks through the defenders and actually on net, and when they managed to do so Raanta was there.
-Kassian was getting looks all night, and was denied on a breakaway of his own. He was probably one of the better forwards for the team this evening but seemed to be fighting the bounces.
-Girardi would tally for the Rangers with 6:42 left to play off a bad bounce in front of Talbot. The #HereComeTheOilers tweets started flying.
The view from above on Girardi’s goal! #NYR pic.twitter.com/3Q5Imm0vXZ
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 14, 2016
-Sekera would finally put the Oilers within one in the dying minutes of the 1st, pinching in on a very nice rush by McDavid and redirecting the pass into the Rangers net. It would be Sekera’s 1st goal of the game, and his 1st goal in 42 games for the Oilers:
REGGIE! ? #NYRvsEDM pic.twitter.com/yOimPmxPuf
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 14, 2016
-The Rangers would pour it on as the 1st ended, and if it wasn’t for Talbot the Oilers easily could have found themselves down 4-1 instead of holding on to a 1 goal game.
2nd Period:
-The Oilers would open the 2nd with an early man advantage, drawing a penalty just 21 seconds into the frame. Unfortunately for them, they were having issues on the powerplay yet again and couldn’t convert. McDavid looked exceptionally dangerous, but his linemates seemed incapable of burying his otherworldly passes.
-NY would kill the penalty off and come right back with a barrage of chances of their own. Both teams would start trading chances with the Rangers preying on the Oilers turnovers and the Oilers failing to get enough of their shots on net
-Kassian followed up his performance with another great effort in the 3rd, but Raanta would have none of it. It seemed like he was due, but between bad bounces and a hot goalie, he just couldn’t find the twine.
-Sekera would almost get his 2nd goal of the game but whiffed on a wide open net with 14:07 left
-The defense seemed to tighten up as the 2nd period progressed. They weren’t giving the Rangers as much time and space and seemed to be breaking the puck out of their own end with a bit more ease. Make sure you check out WheatNOil’s post game stats tracking blog over to see if I’m completely out to lunch.
-The rest of the period would close out with the Oilers still down a goal. Too many odd man rushes and not enough rubber to the net (Giggity):
Oilers second period summary. Just missed. #NYRvsEDM pic.twitter.com/364JRyq2iW
— VisuallyBetter (@Isuckatpicking) November 14, 2016
3rd Period:
-NY would play the trap early, which is to be expected given the fact the Oilers gave them an early lead. This needs to stop.
-Edmonton would start to buzz about four minutes into the 3rd, generating extensive O-zone time, but couldn’t get an equalizer. That was pretty much the story of the period, as the Oilers seemed to outshoot and out chance the Rangers but couldn’t limit their mistakes enough to make it count.
-The reffing in this period was awful. I counted multiple missed calls against the Rangers, but given how the Oilers Power Play was clicking, I’m not sure it would have made much of a difference. One play in particular sticks out to me, as Draisaitl was hauled down in the offensive zone by not one, but TWO rangers without so much as a whistle.
-Zuccarello would end up on a breakaway with 9:30 to go, and if it weren’t for a herculean effort by Matt Benning to skate back and lift his stick, it probably would have ended up in the Oilers net.
-The Oilers would pour on the pressure for the remainder of the 3rd but just couldn’t buy a bounce.
Random Thoughts:
-Gryba was awful tonight. He was being exposed every shift. His foot speed was a liability and the Rangers took full advantage.
-Not a great game for Lucic, who had multiple turnovers, wide open chances, and didn’t seem to be moving his feet enough. He’s not Eberle though, so I guess he’s got that going for him.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
-I felt like Cam Talbot probably should have had the 1st Rangers goal, but he was solid for the rest of the game. The team needs to stop hanging this guy out to dry.
-Corsi loses again. The Oilers outshot the Rangers but the bounces weren’t going their way and the Rangers made them pay for their mistakes.
-It should come as no surprise that the team is coming back down to earth. This is why the hot start was so crucial. They aren’t in danger of falling out of the playoff race just yet, but need to stop the bleeding soon.
-This team really misses Brandon Davidson / Kris Russell. I fully expect to see Gryba sit the first game either one of them are healthy.
-Better luck next time I suppose. See you folks next game (I promise I won’t predict a win this time)!
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