Heading into last night’s game, the Edmonton Oilers did not need any more bulletin board material to hype themselves up. After their Saturday matchup with the Vancouver Canucks that saw their captain suspended in a move that has raised question of how NHL views protection of its’ stars, the Oilers were on a mission to avenge Connor McDavid and prove a point. And that is what they did in front of the raucous crowd of Rogers Place.
Led by Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl—both of whom had three point performances—the Oilers scored five straight goals before Vancouver responded with two goals of their own. However, this would be all from the Canucks as Kasperi Kapanen would score the sixth and final goal to put the punctuation point on a statement win. Let’s look at our takeaways from the game below.
Leon Draisaitl continues his dominance
Leon Draisaitl has done plenty this season to make a case for himself as the most valuable player. As discussed in our recent article, Draisaitl’s performance on both ends of the ice this season has seen him become arguably the most dominant player in the league. Tonight was no different as Draisaitl led the Oilers with a goal and two assists—one of which will be on highlight reels for the rest of the season. From one end of the ice to the other, Draisaitl seamlessly found Hyman who skated in front of Thatcher Demko to open the scoring.
With McDavid’s absence, Draisaitl was certainly going to be counted on to lead the offensive charge and he more than delivered a gutsy performance. Though he is currently the goal-scoring leader in the league, Draisaitl does more than just put up points on the score sheet. His passion and work ethic are second to none and with his all-around play this season, he leads by example on a team that is hungry to lift the Stanley Cup in a few months time.
Oilers hold Canucks to a zero-goal first period
In what seems like a rare occasion this calendar year, the Oilers were able to hold their opponent to zero goals in the opening frame. Yes, zero goals. This in contrast to the five of the previous six games, where Oilers gave up two or more first period goals.
Playing from behind has become the Oilers’ calling card as of late and it has certainly led to some incredible performances as well as difficult losses. Getting the game started on the right foot has a lot of benefits which includes easier time to get the two points needed for the chase down of the division leading Vegas Golden Knights.
Let’s hope that this is the beginning of a new trend for the Oilers where a clean sheet in the first period is not an anomaly.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman continue their midseason turnaround
Before the start of the campaign, both Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman were among the names considered for Team Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster. Their chemistry on the line with McDavid this past season garnered a lot of attention but slow start to their individual campaigns limited those considerations. Nugent-Hopkins only had nine points in his first 22 games while Hyman was a shadow of his former scoring self, needing 11 games in order to get his first goal of the season.
After their game against Canucks, Nugent Hopkins now has 19 points in the last 25 games, while Hyman has scored 16 goals in his last 32 games. With the rosters for the 4 Nations Face-Off already announced, their resurgent play is likely a moment too late. However, should a need for a replacement arise, look for their names as possible considerations.
What’s next for the Oilers?
With only a point separating the Oilers and the Golden Knights in the division standings, the Oilers will now get a one-day break before welcoming Ryan McLeod and the Buffalo Sabres into town for an early afternoon matinee this Saturday.
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