Edmonton Oilers Lead Early, Pull Out Win Late
By Kurt Leavins
The Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche are very, very similar teams. As such, the track meet we witnessed tonight at Rexall Place was somewhat predictable. Given the debilitated state that the Oilers find their blue-line in these days, those were 2 points by the home team well earned. 9 Things:
9. If you thought the Edmonton Oilers defence was deficient when Andrew Ference, Jeff Petry and Mark Fayne were playing, well, you got a glimpse of what it is like tonight when all 3 are out or gone. I never once though that 3-0 lead was safe, and if you are paying attention, you didn’t either.
8. The Power Play goal scored on the Matt Hendricks penalty really turned the momentum of the game in Colorado’s favor. But it was a brutal, brutal call. The play was literally 20 feet from my seat at Rexall, and Hendricks barely touched his man, who really deserved an embellishment call. Terrible refereeing, there.
7. I am hard on Keith Aulie. I have begged Craig MacTavish to send him back to Oklahoma City all season. But tonight? Was as good as I think you will ever see him. Aulie was +2 in 16:54 of TOI. For the most part, he kept his man to the outside, and had one 5-bell shot block in the 3rd Period.
6. Picking 3 stars has become a travesty. How on God’s green earth were Ben Scrivens (41 saves, played great) and Ryan O’Reilly (best player on the ice, for either side) NOT chosen? With all due respect to the guys that were picked, Scrivens and O’Reilly were absolutely robbed. Robbed.
5. I believe some people in this town are guilty of Martin Marincin envy. He has simply not played as good as some would claim, or as some would hope that he had. Tonight, however, he might have been the Edmonton Oilers best D-man (his 1st NHL goal, and 23:37 TOI). Good on the kid, he deserved it. Keep that puck!
4. The Edmonton Oilers have to make a few roster moves. They are down to 5-D. They get an ECU for that situation: I expect Brandon Davidson back up here for Dallas on Friday. And if neither Matt Hendricks (hurt his back, played only 8:27) not Boyd Gordon (also his back) can’t go, they are also short a center.
3. The Anton Lander line with Taylor Hall and Andrew Miller was the Edmonton Oilers best tonight. Miller registered his 1st two NHL assists, and the pass to Marincin was a big league feed. But the kid can even keep up with Hall, who was also flying tonight. Miller is faster, smarter and shoots better than Mark Arcobello did. He is, so far, a clear upgrade on this roster.
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2. Credit Derek Roy for going to the net on the game winner, and battling like he does. But what struck me about that play was the smart, simple, unselfish play by Nail Yakupov to save all the frilly stuff and just get the puck on the net. It was a mature play that ultimately won the game.
1. Just win, baby. Again tonight, people are upset that their team is winning, afraid that the Edmonton Oilers may screw up their chances at the draft. I can tell you with great confidence: Those people never played a highly competitive hockey game in their life. Any player worth his salt plays to win. Any coach that doesn’t want to be fired and wants a new contract coaches to win.
And if you have spent as many seasons as this franchise has losing, then you will know that you don’t just “turn on the ‘Win’ tap”. Winning is every bot as much about the culture as it is about the play on the ice. And it is SO much harder to win than it is to lose. Ask anyone who has played at a high level, they will tell you.
Just win, baby. Just. Win.