Top 3 Oilers studs from comeback 4-3 win versus the Wild
We take a look at the three best Oilers players from the 4-3 victory against the Wild, which increased their winning streak to season-high six games.
For a while there, things were not looking good for the Edmonton Oilers. Despite dominating the shot attempts, they were trailing 3-2 and appeared to be headed to yet another loss versus their bogey team.
In the end however, the Oilers overcame the challenges which would have been too much for them earlier this season. As a result, they came back to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 and extend their season-best winning streak to six games.
They will be those who criticise Stuart Skinner for allowing three goals on just 20 shot attempts. In fairness though, he can only be blamed for one of the goals he let in, and he came up big right at the end with the game-saving stop.
Regardless, what ultimately matters is that the Oilers emerged victorious. Here are our top three players from the sixth consecutive win at Rogers Place:
3) Connor McDavid
We wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re running out of ways to describe Connor McDavid’s excellence, but I can’t remember the last time I used the word goshdarnit. Yes that’s right, that’s the word which came into my head after his goal against the Wild.
The Oilers needed a bit of magic, after the Wild scored twice in the space of just 26 seconds to take a 2-1 lead early in the second period despite being outshot 18-4 during the first. And magic is exactly what they got, courtesy of Mr. McDavid.
There is no more exhilarating (and for opponents, terrifying) sight, than number 97 flying down the ice. This is only heightened, when he combines this with the type of moves other players only wish they could pull off.
After faking out a defenceman, McDavid did the same to the Wild goalie, before sending the puck home from behind the net. Just like that, the Oilers were back to 2-2 against a team they often struggle to beat.
The five-time Art Ross trophy winner also played an important part in Leon Draisaitl’s goal, to give him yet another multi-point game. As a result, he now has 21 points in his past eight games.
This points surge has also seen McDavid shoot up the scoring charts, after at one stage not even being in the top 100. As of Saturday morning however, he sits tied in seventh place on 34 points.
For the Oilers to get to this point of winning six straight and nine out of 12, is of course a team effort. However, have no doubt that one of the biggest reasons is because the best player in the game has found his rhythm again.
2) Evan Bouchard
Evan Bouchard has quite rightly had his critics. Selected 10th overall in the 2018 draft, he has frustrated at times, in terms of his development and play on the ice.
However, things all seemed to finally come together for Bouchard last season, especially after the acquisition of Mattias Ekholm. The veteran defenceman helped build his young teammate’s confidence and performance.
Then, the 24-year-old started this season poorly, although to be fair, so did a lot of his teammates. What was particularly concerning though was his defensive play, with him making far too many unnecessary mistakes.
Bouchard has improved of late, although in reality his defensive play is unlikely ever to be up to the same level as, for example, Ekholm. At the same time though, there is no questioning his offensive talent.
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The Oakville, Ontario native has been on a tear of late, with points in nine consecutive games. Now you can make it 10 straight, after his two goals and one assist versus the Wild game him 27 points on the season.
Bouchard got things going in the first period, as he finished off a period of sustained pressure with a blast into the top right corner of the Wild net. He followed this up with the secondary assist, in the lead-up to McDavid’s brilliance on his goal.
The blue liner then showed off the full power of his lethal shot early in the final period, on what turned out to be the winning goal. Coach Kris Knoblauch was full of praise when speaking about his second goal postgame, as he said:
“I saw that shot was 97 miles an hour. That doesn’t hurt. It’s definitely a skill. There’s plenty of guys that can place a puck in a certain location, have velocity and really hammer it like that, but there’s few guys in the NHL that can do both.”
1) Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins received the game’s second star on the night, but for us, he was the best overall player. This was also his best game of the season, as he was involved in all four Oilers goals.
Nugent-Hopkins finished with four assists, three of which were primary helpers. Interestingly, the four assists is one off his career-high, which was achieved all the way back during his rookie season in 2011-12.
The 30-year-old’s best assist was arguably his first. He looked calm and collected, as he took his time before setting up Bouchard with a pinpoint pass.
The second goal was mostly all about McDavid’s aforementioned magic. However, the Oilers captain doesn’t get the opportunity without Nugent-Hopkins’ probing cross-ice pass to his teammate flying down the right wing.
In the lead-up to the third goal, the Oilers were almost passing the puck for fun while looking for the right opening. In the end, it was Nugent-Hopkins who set up Draisaitl’s heat-seeking missile into the net.
The 2011 first overall draft pick completed his night, by being involved with the secondary assist on the winning goal. And while he missed a couple of good opportunities to score himself, it doesn’t take away from his impressive game.
Afterwards, Nugent-Hopkins was asked about the confidence the team has displayed of late. Speaking to the media, he said:
“We’re starting to get to the game we want to see, night-in, night-out. I think the way we started was a super-fast pace, we were putting pucks behind them and making them turn. It starts to back them off a little bit, which is the way we want to play. We’re tracking back hard, (which) is kind of our MO and when we play our best, we’re a tough team to handle.”
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Overall, the Oilers improved to 2-0 in this six-game homestand and moved to within five points of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Next up, they will host the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon.