At this time of year, playing an NHL game just before the Christmas break, the result is going to be either bah humbug or Joy to the World, right?
Every player wants to go into the holiday time off smiling, with a bellyful of good memories after a healthy win, rather than be down at the mouth after a loss when the off-ice plan is to stuff their face with turkey and pie.
And so it was that the Edmonton Oilers left Rogers Place Friday night with shoulders slumped after a 5-2 Vancouver Canucks win in their second of four meetings this season, with both at Rogers Place. Game 3 is Jan. 21 in Vancouver.
In one of those good scheduling situations, the Oilers were waiting for a tired Canucks team that rallied to beat Seattle in a shootout Thursday at home and got into Edmonton in the wee hours of the morning after scrambling to beat an impending snowstorm to get on their charter flight here.
But they didn’t take advantage.
“You always complain when you’re on the other end of a back-to-back. This is one of the rare times where we’re the team waiting and have to take advantage and get on them early,” said Oiler winger Zach Hyman, whose team should have been a little weary too, playing their 12th game in the first 23 days of December.
In the end, the more desperate Canucks got excellent goaltending from their backup Colin Delia as Bo Horvat got two (one into the empty net) and Ilya Mikheyev the other in the last 10 minutes after J.T. Miller had the first two on the Oiler netminder Stuart Skinner.
Connor McDavid extended his point streak to 15 games with his 30thgoal while Derek Ryan had the other one in the first 20 minutes but the Canucks, with the worst penalty-kill in the league, stopped the Oilers three times and won lots of battles along the boards as the game wore on.
So, the Oilers didn’t take care of business again at home, after falling to lowly Anaheim a week ago at home before hitting the road to play in Nashville and Dallas.
After falling behind 2-0 after the first, the Canucks got two in the second by Miller. The first was gift from the gods that Skinner fumbled the puck into his net; the other a powerplay rebound shortly after referee Carter Sandlak, whose dad Jim was a one-time NHL forward, didn’t call a hold on McDavid on his short-handed break.
In the opening period, the Oilers poured 11 shots at Delia in the first 10 minutes with Ryan getting his fifth on a breakaway deke, looking very much like a guy who used to be an offensive threat at U of Alberta and in Europe before getting to the NHL.
Then, with four seconds left in the opening period, McDavid finished off a wonderful two-way passing play from Leon Draisaitl to Zach Hyman to the Oiler captain for his 30th in 35 games. That’s his seventh straight 30 or more season and he’s the first Oiler to get 30 prior to Christmas since Wayne Gretzky in 1986.
This ‘n that: Twin brothers Chad and Cody Huseby, who live in Red Deer and work the AHL as linesmen, filled in for two of their NHL brethren Caleb Apperson and Travis Gawryletz, who couldn’t get here because of travel issues. The brothers used to work the WHL juniors. “We used to refer to them as the law firm of Huseby and Huseby,” said former Oil Kings’ athletic therapist Brian Cheeseman… McDavid has seven straight 30 or more goal seasons. Only Alex Ovechkin with 15 has more amongst active players… With Ryan McLeod added to the Oiler roster after missing a month with a high ankle sprain, defenceman Ryan Murray (back) was put on IR. Murray has had chronic back (disc) issues going back to his days in Columbus. McLeod’s speed was a welcome addition but he fell on one rush into the end boards and lost a skate blade and had to hobble to the bench… Because of the bad weather in Vancouver, the SportsNet TV crew stayed there and worked the game off a monitor… Canucks centre Elias Pettersson, who was dazzling in Vancouver’s 6-5 win over Seattle Thursday with two goals and three helpers and a shootout goal to boot, is in the second year of a $22 million bridge deal but you can bet he’s looked at Mat Barzal’s eight-year $73-million contract on Long Island and that’s his solid comparable for a longer-term arrangement… Canucks didn’t have Tanner Pearson (hand surgery) or goalie Thatcher Demko (right leg injury)… Taylor Harnett, who coached Stuart Skinner, James Hamblin and Tyler Benson with the Southside Athletic Club, dropped by Rogers Place Friday for practice. Harnett coaches and manages the junior A Waywayseecappo Wolverines, based in Russell, MB (Theo Fleury’s hometown) in the MJHL. Rylan Ferster, who played junior A in Saskatchewan (Nipawin) with Oiler radio voice and former goalie Cam Moon, watched practice too. Ferster is currently head coach of Victoria Grizzlies in the BCJHL… Defenceman Philip Broberg, who injured his ankle in a practice a week ago and is out until the New Year, wasn’t put on IR… The Oilers sat forwards Devin Shore and James Hamblin for the Canucks game.
Post a Comment