Coming off a 5–3 loss to the Minnesota Wild, which surely could have been a lot worse, we were a bit unsure of what the Edmonton Oilers team was going to show up this Saturday night. If your bet was on a reverse of fortunes and Oilers laying a beat down on the boys from the Big Apple, time to cash in your lottery tickets.
With a more lively and thorough performance which included sound play up and down the depth chart, the Oilers put on a convincing display of why they are the reigning Western Conference Champions as they beat the New York Rangers 6–2. Let’s break down our main takeaways below.
Sigh of relief for Podkolzin
Vasily Podkolzin was one relieved man this Saturday night and the Oil Country was ecstatic for him. After almost fumbling the puck with an initially errant pass, he quickly recovered and passed it to Leon Draisaitl, who set him up for a shot that beat Jonathan Quick and became Podkolzin’s first goal as an Oiler.
This could not have happened to a more deserving player. Podkolzin has consistently been one of the hardest working players on this roster. Night in and night out, his pressure and physical play helps the top guys to keep the puck in the offensive zone and he has more than punched his weight to make up for the injuries and slow start to Edmonton’s top-six winger group. We would love nothing more than for this goal to be the first of many for this former top-10 pick.
Plus what can be more endearing than scoring your first goal for your new team on your parents’ last night in town.
Nurse is doing just fine
After missing three games following an egregious hit from Ryan Reaves, Darnell Nurse made a statement. While on a penalty kill with close to 10 seconds left in the first period, Nurse took a crisp pass from Mattias Janmark before slotting it past Jonathan Quick for the Oilers’ second goal of the night. His celebration? Pointing to his head and telling us (the fans) that he is doing just fine.
His return to the lineup could not have come at a better time as the Oilers’ defensive core have continued to look for their identity. While he may have had a tough start to the season in some respect, it looks like he is picking up right where he left off when he scored two goals and had one assist in a game against the Nashville Predators.
Fast and furious
While the Edmonton Oilers had a good all around team game against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, one aspect of their play continues to get exposed: their ability to deal with speed.
We have seen this against the Maple Leafs and against the Nashville Predators. We have seen this at other times this season. And we are seeing this now. There were a number of times throughout the game where a Rangers’ player would start to pick up speed along the board and the Edmonton defence looked flatfooted in trying to defend, let alone catch-up to him.
Oilers’ defensive core needs to continue findings ways to handle their opponents’ on fast breakouts and odd man rushes in a way that does not allow for a direct, or close to direct, path to Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard.
What is next for the Oilers?
Oilers will now have close to a week-long break as they travel to Utah to face the Utah Hockey Club next Friday, followed by the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. This is a part of a three game road trip that will conclude on Tuesday, December 3 in Vegas.
For the Oilers, their first trip to Utah will include facing a team that has somewhat cooled off following an exciting start to their season. The Avalanche on the other hand, are heading the other direction and are picking up steam with three consecutive wins. May the dominant performance we saw this Saturday be a sign of what is yet to come.
