Edmonton Oilers Win Tight 1-0 Affair Over 'Canes

The Edmonton Oilers would not have won this game, a year ago. Of that I am quite sure. While this one was not much at all to watch, for those of us who forked over a small fortune to be at Rexall Place tonight, Todd McLellan‘s group did what was required to come away with 2 points. And that, after all, is the name of the game. They don’t ask how pretty they were.

9 Things:

9. The Edmonton Oilers had not won a 1-nothing game in 5 years, and had never won a 1-0 overtime game in the history of the NHL franchise. Seriously.

8. If you want to blame someone for the style of game that we were subjected to, blame the NHL and it’s expansion policies. Thin out the talent pool, and you get 57 1/2 minutes in the neutral zone (or so it seemed).

7. If you held a gun to my head today, and said “You can only have Justin Schultz OR Brad Hunt“, I would have to sit and think about that for a while. Hunt has really improved his game away from the puck, and moves it at least as well as Schultz does. And Justin was not bad tonight. But Hunt has a leg up, right now.

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6. I said earlier Monday, that the Edmonton Oilers could quite feasibly win 7 out of their next 10 games, but that they had to start “tonight”. And to their credit, they did. There was a rumor tonight that Connor McDavid took the pre-game skate. I was there. He didn’t. But he IS close. And if the Oilers can play stay close for the next 10 days, they stand to get a huge boost upon #97’s return.

5. The line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle and Benoit Pouliot was the Edmonton Oilers best over the first 20 minutes, and obviously had a direct hand in finishing the game off, tonight. But the line of Taylor Hall, Leon Draisaitl and Teddy Purcell had a distinct edge in possession and play while they were on the ice, and ultimately that trio was the Oilers best line over 62+ minutes. That Draisaitl pass to Purcell at the buzzer was out of this world.

4. Darnell Nurse played one of his best NHL games tonight. This, after some fans were lobbying for his to head to Bakersfield for a while. Some people just don’t get that success rarely (if ever) goes in a straight line. Nurse skated miles, was physical, imposed his will on a tough Hurricanes team at times, and had a huge block on the PK late in the 3rd Period. This kid’s the real deal. But he IS a rookie, and he will have “those games”. Get over it…ok?

3. He did not receive a star tonight, for the Edmonton Oilers, but Matt Hendricks was flat-out excellent. In particular, he won 9 of 11 draws, against the best face-off team in the N.H.L. And when Hendricks is taking a draw, it is typically in the defensive zone, 180 feet from the opposition net. Good work tonight, by a real gamer. Hendricks makes this club better, on a regular basis. Effective on and against the cycle, and sets a marvelous example.

2. Andrej Sekera scored the overtime winner, in a play where he did two very simple things right: He got the puck to the net, and he followed his own shot to the crease. For those two, minor hockey basics, he was rewarded with his 2nd overtime winner of the season, and his team with 2 poits. And while some are blaming Cam Ward for that goal, Jeff Skinner peeled off his check like the drive-buys we constantly complain that our own team committs. Tonight…the shoe was on the other foot.

1. Cam Talbot was the Edmonton Oilers best player tonight. He will not necessarily fill the highlight reel with the saves that he made. But Talbot did what good goalies do: He stopped the shots that he should have stopped, when he should have stopped them. And he was one rebound better than the guy at the other end. Full marks, for the Oilers first shut-out in almost a calendar year. Over his last 10 games, including that rough patch where he was yanked, Talbot has a save percentage over .940. We have have a legit #1, Oilers fans. I don’t give “grades” for performances, but if that wasn’t a “10” by Talbot, I don’t now what is.

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At the end of the night, you can grumble over the quality of hockey that we watched together, and not be wrong about that. But fact is, the Edmonton Oilers beat a really good defensive club at their own game, earned 2 points, to sit just 2 points out of a playoff spot in the Pacific Division. And that ain’t bad.

Bring on Tampa Bay.

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