Edmonton Oilers Lose 4-3 Heartbreaker In L.A.

The Edmonton Oilers are a much better hockey team, this season. But the standings do not show that. And yes, it is hard to square one with the other. Exhibit “A” was the game in Los Angeles Saturday night that they had no business being in, yet battled back again and again, only to fall just short.

Yes…again.

9 Things:

9. Laurent Brossoit registered his 3rd shut-out of the AHL season, Saturday night, in a 3-nothing win for Bakersfield. His save percentage is now North of .930. It’s hard to ignore stories like that, on nights like this. Cam Talbot was at least 50% culpable on the 1st L.A. goal, and was responsible for the give-away on their last one, too.

8. I hate (hate) it when the Zebras get in the way of a good game. That waived-off icing at the end of the game was a flat-out missed call. Oscar Klefbom was still in full stride at the hashes, which is when the whistle is supposed to go. But hey…when you’ve decided to favor one team all night long, why not finish the job, right?

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7. It is time for Eric Gryba to try out some of the press box popcorn. He was flat-out brutal tonight. Yes, Griffin Reinhart fumbled the puck at the offensive blue-line, but got all the way back into the play, only to have Gryba ignore his man in front. Start Andrew Ference next game. He is a far more intelligent NHL defender.

6. Houston, we have a problem. And his name is Anton Lander. He is now pointless in 18 games. But equally as bad, tonight…he took two penalties, the latter an indefensible one in the offensive zone, in the dying minutes of a game his mates had just busted their butts to tie up at 3. At what point do you make a move?

5. If you are going “That damn Mark Fayne“, tonight, you are just following the crowd and piling on, and didn’t actually watch the game. Fayne was really quite good, tonight, physical, breaking up cycles, positioning himself well. Or…maybe you were watching Gryba, and just THOUGHT it was Fayne? *winks*

4. The Edmonton Oilers, missing 3 of their best offensive players (Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid AND Justin Schultz), desperately needed production from Jordan Eberle and/or Nail Yakupov. While both created chances on the night, and made positive contributions, at the end of the day they are paid to put the puck in the net, but could not cash in Los Angeles.

3. If you still think Taylor Hall should be traded, do me a favor, and just un-follow me on Twitter…right now. Hall was spectacular again, with a Corsi just shy of 60% in 21 minutes of TOI, and pushed the river much of the night. He and Leon Draisaitl are absolute magic together. And Hall has nicely cleaned up his game in his own end, and only has 20 points in 18 games. At this rate, he will be a All-Star.

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2. O.K., folks…lets agree that this was a terrific effort by a team on the end of a grueling road trip, punctuated by a nasty out-break of the flu that knocked out their #1 center, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins out of the lineup, and they were of course already short Connor McDavid. This was already a “scheduled loss” before all that, and still…the good guys took this one right to the final seconds. Yes, I know, there are those of you who are “tired of moral victories”. O.K., but would you disagree that last year…this team would have folded like a cheap deck chair when the score hit 2-0? I didn’t think so.

1. Leon Draisaitl. Good lord, what a performance by this kid tonight. On the 1st goal, Draisaitl started the play deep in his own zone, with a finesse zone exit, leading to a brilliant 60-foot pass to a darting Taylor Hall, who then fed the puck back to the Big German for a pretty 1-timer. Then, on the Teddy Purcell goal, he used his size to protect the puck, before dishing it off to his winger for the goaal from the point. I was just floored to learn that Leon Draisaitl did not receive a star, in-building, tonight. What game were THEY watching? Never have we ever been able to say that an Edmonton Oilers center has out-played Anze Kopitar in a game until tonight. He has 13 points in 8 games, and is the Edmonton Oilers 3rd leading scorer. And he started the year in Bakersfield!

It stings to come away from that kind of an effort and not get at least a point. But a combination of untimely defensive gaffes, untimely penalties and (ahem) average goaltending sun the ship.

And it gets harder, not easier…as Chicago is up next.