Top 3 Oilers studs from 4-3 OT win against the Kraken
A look at three Edmonton Oilers players who deserve particular credit for the spectacular overtime comeback win versus the Seattle Kraken.
Just like that, the Edmonton Oilers are beginning to look more like their usual selves. There’s still plenty of work to do, but three straight wins undoubtedly boosts the morale and confidence of a team which had started the 2023-24 season with a terrible 2-9-1 record.
The latest victory saw the Oilers come from behind in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, to beat the Seattle Kraken 4-3 in overtime. The home side wasn’t at their best for the majority of the game, but it’s important to prove you can still win even when faced with adversity.
We’ve already shared three takeaways from the emotionally inspiring (and draining!) win. Now, we count down the three players who contributed most to the win versus the Kraken:
3) Darnell Nurse
Last season was arguably the best yet for Darnell Nurse, since his NHL debut during the 2014-15 campaign. This included a career-high 43 points and a +26 plus/minus rating which was one off his single-season best.
However, Nurse will be the first to admit this season hasn’t started well for him. Along with many others, he struggled with the Oilers’ shift from a man-to-man scheme to a zone defence.
Fortunately for everyone concerned, the 2013 seventh overall draft pick has begun to improve of late. This included Wednesday night, when he made arguably the play of the game to give the Oilers a chance to still win.
Nurse’s moment came late on, after the Oilers took Skinner out and the Kraken’s Jaden Schwartz got the puck and fired it towards an empty net. Nurse made a diving play and somehow got his stick to the puck and kept it out, to keep the home side within 3-2.
Just seconds later, the Oilers tied the game to send it into overtime. Speaking postgame, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch appreciated how important Nurse’s play was, as he said:
“It would have been over. We don’t have two points unless he makes that defensive play. The guys who scored the goals get the recognition, and they should, but guys who make plays like that should also. That’s a huge, huge play.”
To be clear, this aside, Nurse had an excellent game in general. He led all Oilers in ice time and blocks, tied for the team lead with three hits and was a crucial part of the penalty kill unit.
Understandably though, the main thing the media wanted to discuss with the Hamilton, Ontario native, was his late empty net save. Speaking postgame, he said:
“On an empty net, those guys are going to try and make a play on it and they’re usually pretty good at it. I tried to get everything I could in front of it and got a piece of it, so it ended up giving us a chance to score late.”
2) Stuart Skinner
Don’t look now, but Stuart Skinner is beginning to look more and more like last season’s version. That would be the version who took over as the Oilers’ main goaltender and subsequently finished runner up for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Skinner started the 2023-24 campaign terribly, as the Oilers effectively had the worst goalie situation in the NHL. They were dead last in team save percentage and second-highest for average goals per game.
However, the 25-year-old is now on a roll since once more becoming the team’s number one option between the pipes. Wednesday night represented his third consecutive strong game, with all three performances resulting in wins.
The (second) victory versus the Kraken was Skinner’s best outing yet, which it needed to be on a night the Oilers were second-best for the majority of the game. It started just over a minute into the contest, when he made a big save to stop the team falling behind to an early goal for the second straight game.
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The Edmonton native would stop 13 shots in all during the opening period, to keep the score at 0-0. However, it was in the third period when he really earned his dough, as the Oilers held firm on a couple of important penalty kills which could have finished them off.
Skinner made a couple of key stops after the Oilers had pulled to within 3-2, to again keep the home side in the game. This included a big save late on in the third, after a turnover in the Oilers’ zone.
When speaking to the media postgame, the 2017 third round draft pick was complimented on keeping the Oilers in the game when they weren’t playing at his best. He was typically humble and understated, as he said:
“Thank you. It’s always a nice feeling when you give your team a chance to win and that’s my job. I’m going to try to do that every night.”
1) Evander Kane
Was there ever going to be any doubt about who the number one stud was for the Oilers on the night? It clearly had to be Evander Kane, who became the second player to score a natural hat trick versus the Kraken this season, following on from Zach Hyman last weekend.
In some ways, Kane almost dragging the Oilers to a win epitomises his importance of late. While the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were struggling, he took it upon himself to lead this team, with 12 points in his past eight games.
In the process, the 2009 fourth overall draft pick is now looking like the player who impressed significantly during his first season in Edmonton. In fact, he played so well during the second half of the 2021-22 season, that the Oilers rewarded him with a four-year, $20.5 million contract extension.
Further speaking to how much Kane has thrived in Edmonton, Wednesday night’s hat trick was his sixth with the Oilers including playoffs. When you consider he has nine hat tricks for his career but has only played three of his 15 NHL seasons in Alberta, it is extremely telling.
There were less than seven minutes remaining in the third period, when the Vancouver native took over. The Oilers were trailing 3-1 at the time, before he scored on a tip-in at the 13:28 mark.
This started off a sequence of events, which saw Kane score three goals in less than 10 minutes, to turn a seemingly inevitable loss into an unlikely and exhilarating victory. He tied the game with just 46 seconds remaining in the third, then dominated during the extra period and was subsequently rewarded with the game-winner.
It’s the type of win which can galvanise a team, and Kane is one of the main reasons why they are in this position. Speaking to the media postgame, he said:
“We talked about it in the second intermission, how we had to create some energy and flip the switch. I thought we did a pretty good job. … I think we did a good job of not being deterred and not having a letdown going into the third period after that second period, and pushing to get a victory.”
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Evan Bouchard and Draisaitl also deserve credit with three and two assists respectively, while McDavid scored a goal for the second consecutive game. Now, we will see if the Oilers can keep the momentum rolling as they head out east, for an important four-game road trip.