GDB 6.0 Summary: Oilers prank Penguins with five straight goals and complete the comeback for a 6-3 win

“Up and down like a toilet seat.” Final score: 6-3 Oilers

Walking into that game against the Penguins, I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that there was no way a McDavid-Crosby duel could be anywhere near as boring as what we went through on Saturday. Not only did the Oilers lose, but the Blues are so terribly boring that I found it kind of physically painful to watch. Even outside of the obvious Connor vs. Sid storylines, I was excited to see a game that moved faster than the icy pace we got from the Blues. The problem, however, is that the Oilers don’t seem to have gotten the memo that they, too, should step on the gas pedal. Aside from Zach Hyman’s opening goal, the first half was all Penguins and without Jack Campbell the result would have been a lot more lopsided than a 2-1 game. Needless to say, there was plenty of room for improvement.

As far as this improvement went, there was no shortage of options to choose from, so anything beyond sucking would be an improvement. I know it was a small dream not to be stupid, but I felt like it was an important one. Unfortunately, it was the Penguins who struck first with an early goal from Rust, extending the lead and giving the visitors some security. To make matters worse, albeit temporarily but we didn’t know at the moment, Connor McDavid crashed into the net first and left the game clearly uneasy. But then it got interesting. Rather than crumble or potentially lose their captain because of the two-goal hole, the Oilers picked up a quick power-play marker to pull back to a point and give themselves some confidence. Now, with momentum on their side and McDavid back on the bench, the table was set for a comeback the Penguins simply had no answer for as the Oilers managed to put three more goals past Jarry in just four and a half minutes. Because as bad as the boys were in the first part, they dominated the second third and it was a lot of fun to watch.

With 20 minutes to go, the Oilers had a two-goal lead and with 20 minutes to go, they had a wonderful opportunity to close that six-game home stand with a .500 record, despite their up-and-down play. Of course, achieving that would require another effort, just like the second half and nothing with the laissez-faire approach we saw in the opening. And since the Penguins were going to come out to try and get back in the game, the Oilers had to be ready. They couldn’t just sit back and try to pass the time – they had to keep fighting. The good news is that there was no sitting back in the Oilers’ game plan. The boys picked up where they left off in game two and did a good job of keeping the Penguins on the outside of the ice defensively while staying hungry for more offense at the other end of the rink. It was like they were a completely different team than who started the game and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a drastic turnaround, although I certainly won’t be complaining about the outcome. All I know for certain is that the Oilers have shifted gears in the last 40 minutes, and I’m confident they can take some of that energy with them on their road trip ahead.

The case.

• Zach Hyman opened the scoring (1-0) with a breakaway deke on his backhand after Evan Bouchard sent him in alone with a nice stretch pass.
• Tyson Barrie pulled the Oilers back to one (3-2) with a lucky goal after his point shot took a few friendly jumps before finally sneaking past Jarry.
• Evander Kane leveled the game late in the second half (3-3) after Leon Draisaitl fed him into the slot with a skillful pass which he ripped through the keeper with no loss of time. It took Kane a few games to get going but with two goals in his last three games I think the big man is starting to feel it again.
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins restored Edmonton’s lead (4-3) with a quick one-touch shot from the slot after Hyman found him with a pass to the tee at the gate entrance. With the goal and assist on Barrie’s power play marker, Nugent-Hopkins has seven points (3G, 4A) in his last four games. My boy is looking good at the moment.
• Leon Draisaitl added a fourth straight goal for the Oilers (5-3) with a beautiful individual performance that left the defender dangling before ripping a backhand ball past Jarry and down. How about another casual three-point night for Leon? The guy is ridiculous and we are so lucky to have him.
• Ryan McLeod ended the game with a quick snap from just under (6-3) after Derek Ryan set him up with a lane to the net and all the time in the world to find his spot. As always, McLeod is the largest cloud since the cumulus. Many Thanks.
• I don’t care what anyone says, Jack Campbell was part of the solution for this hockey team, and there was no better example of that than the way he kept the Oilers in the game in the first half. Yes, he probably would love to have that Rust goal back, but without Campbell, the Oilers would never have won that hockey game. From start to finish, Soup gave his team a chance to win and he also did an excellent job of blocking things when it matters most. Campbell finished the night with 32 saves and .914 percent.
• I really liked Darnell Nurse’s game and actually think he’s been solid all season. I know people will always point to his contract but from my side of the TV screen I’ve been happy with his game so far.
• You must love to see the power play get back on track (1/3) after being ruled out against St. Louis on Saturday afternoon. I know they only got one PP in this game, but you know what I mean.
• The Oilers set a new franchise record in the second half when they fired 26 shots at Tristan Jarry.
• After shooting wide in the first half, the Oilers began shooting pucks everywhere, leading them to a 47-34 shot clock win.
• How can you not love to see the boys win 54% of the faceoffs?

PRESENTED BY BETWAY

• Rickard Rakell leveled the game (1-1) with a powerplay snipe from the high slot that knocked Campbell over the gauntlet. Initially I thought there might have been interference in Campbell’s crease, but the replay quickly dashed my hopes and dreams of a Woody challenge.
• Less than two minutes after Rakell scored, Sidney Crosby put the Penguins ahead after a ridiculous passing play that began with Tristan Jarry bombing the puck out of the Pittsburgh zone and eventually went into an odd-man rush (2:1). It was a strange goal and a beautiful one at the same time.
• Bryan Rust increased Pittsburgh’s lead to a pair (3-1) on a second chance game after catching his own rebound near the circle and firing his second shot from Campbell as he tried to slide back into position.
• Connor McDavid left the game early in the second half after crashing into the post and it was clear he was uncomfortable because this isn’t a guy who stays down unless there’s a problem. The good news is he only missed a single shift, but that moment without him was still too scary for my liking.
• Six games played, six games with at least one goal abandoned on penalties. Not good my friends. That said, it wasn’t all bad as the Oilers parried four straight penalties after conceding a goal in the night’s first shorthanded situation.
• The NHL website listed the Oilers with 15 giveaways, but I have a feeling they got more than that in the first period alone.