Edmonton Oilers Take Black Hawks To Shoot-Out
Well, there is absolutely no shame in that.
The Edmonton Oilers were excellent, against the mighty Chicago Black Hawks on Friday night, eventually falling 2-1 in a shoot-out, which I maintain is a crappy way to end what was a terrific hockey game. 9 Things;
9. Martin Marincin fans will not like this. Marincin does do some nice things in a game. Problem is, he still gives up too much, on plays that do not start terribly difficult but too often end up that way. This is not a physical thing, it is more mental, and Martin struggled in the middle frame in particular, when the puck was on his stick. Has a lot to prove, yet.
8. The Edmonton Oilers had no business even being in this game tonight, but you can make a reasonable argument that they were the best team on the ice, against a very, very good hockey team. The Oilers out-shot and out-hit Chicago. The push back, after being over-matched by Los Angeles, was impressive. It is something we did not see in the 1st half of this year.
7. Andrew Ference was very smart, very physical and skated miles as the Black Hawks spent all night trying to get pucks behind him. Ference may not be the player he used to be. But it is on night like this, that he shows what he can still bring to this team when used right (he played just a tick over 18:00 on the night). Solid performance, while “baby-sitting” Jordan Oesterle.
6. Justin Schultz continues to improve in his own end. He and his partner have become way more consistent defending. And Schultz had the game on his stick in the final minute, after a beautiful feed from Jordan Eberle. Yes, this is the same kid that a substantial percentage of the fan-base had headed out of town for a roll of tape. What a turnaround, hey?
5. They did not fold. When Brent Seabrook’s shot found its way into the net, the pre-January Oilers would have folded like a cheap deck chair, but the Todd Nelson-led Edmonton Oilers did no such thing. That looked like a team that believes in itself. And when you say that about a 29th place club, it usually means that better times are not far ahead.
4. Derek Roy has absolutely earned a new contract in Edmonton. On Friday, he was the best forward on the team, a danger each time he was on the ice, scored the Edmonton Oilers only goal, and usually the first forward back in his own zone. Roy is a veteran NHL-er who plays the game right, and still possesses the skill to be dangerous.
3. That was, flat-out, a super hockey game. A 1-1 game with that much pace and shots is pure fun. And an Edmonton Oilers team, badly out-matched on paper, skated right with the Black Hawks, from minute 1 to minute 65. I am confident it was the most exciting game the Oilers have played all year. As a fan of brisk, aggressive hockey, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
2. Ben Scrivens was spectacular. The lone Chicago goal he was screened right out on, with Mark Fayne and Rob Klinkhammer blocking his view. But Scrivens made a number of blue-chip saves with the game on the line, and was much better both when handling the puck and when corralling rebounds. The #1 Star chosen by the Black Hawks broadcasters.
1. Oscar Klefbom was the best defenceman on either team tonight, and had it not been for Ben Scrivens, he would surely have been the game’s 1st Star. Klefbom had 7 shots on net (including a cross-bar that could have won it), and played tremendous, both in his own zone, and when he was moving the puck up the ice. 26:23 TOI. Oh, baby.
47 shots against the Black Hawks, in Chicago, huh? I’ll take that result, thanks.
If the Edmonton Oilers play that well against Carolina, they will destroy them.
But hey…that’s why they play the games!
Arrows up.