What a win! That was the kind of performance the team desperately needed to capitalize on. The first period was a tire fire as the Anaheim Ducks played the game they’re known for. I’m not sure the Oilers maintained possession for more than 10 seconds in that period and it was starting to feel like another loss was coming. The dinky fluke of a goal Corey Perry scored off of Darnell Nurse’s foot didn’t help either.
I get by with a little help from my friends. #LetsGoDucks pic.twitter.com/ibI25hpRV2
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 12, 2015
The start of the second was still a tad wanting from the fans perspective but as soon as they got on the board with that Draisaitl goal you could feel the momentum coming. The Oilers didn’t dominate that second frame like they did in Chicago but it was still a much improved effort on their part. As the end of the period was winding down Darnell Nurse and Ryan Getzlaf came together…
Getzlaf did the right thing there not only because there was literally no point in starting fisticuffs but also because Nurse would’ve torn him to shreds. You don’t think so? I refer you back to the fight with Hunter Smith who’s a good 4 inches taller than Getzlaf.
The third period was a throwback to better days given the amount of back and forth that was going on. First it was former Oiler captain Shawn Horcoff being left all alone in the slot. Then it was Oscar Klefbom unleashing a bomb from the point. After that it was Corey Perry’s turn to be left all alone in front of the net so he could dangle Anders Nilsson silly. But just when you thought the boys were out of it… They’re brought you back in! Taylor Hall took a hit to keep the puck in the Ducks zone which found its way behind the net to a hulking Leon Draisaitl who, whilst holding off the Ducks defender with one arm, deposited the puck out front for Baby Nuge to cash in on! Tie game!
All four of those goals came within six minutes and I was on pins and needles for the rest of the period. Is it weird to have that kind of anxiety this early in the year?
Well the boys in blue and orange held on to take it to 3v3 OT. I have to admit I was a bit tentative knowing that Perry and Getzlaf weren’t starting the OT. I more or less knew that the Ducks could hold the Oilers off the board until they could get their powerhouses on the ice. Well, they didn’t amount to much because thanks to a heroic backcheck by Leon Draisaitl on Cam Fowler and a clever decision by Anders Nilsson not to freeze the puck, the Ducks were caught on a line change and Andrej Sekera was able to spring Teddy Purcell on a breakaway leading to the game winning goal! Check it out below!
Heads-up play to set up the winner! #EDMvsANA pic.twitter.com/FmqfyhaL2m
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 12, 2015
So all-in-all it was a very entertaining game to watch (apart from the 1st). I loved the pushback from the boys and it gives me hope that there’s a team here. They’ve shown up vs the Habs, the Blackhawks, and now the Ducks. They took on the Kings and the Predators fairly well to boot. What this team is going to look like when it’s completely devoid of injuries could be something special.
My player of the game would be Leon Draisaitl. The German Tank was indomitable and unavoidable for the Ducks tonight. They didn’t have an answer for his physicality or his intelligence. Darnell Nurse was out there but it was Draisaitl that was taking the Ducks to the clinic. Good on him!
Oh and one other thing. We finally got to see the team get physical. Iiro the Hero took a nasty hit from behind from Patrick Maroon and boy he picked the wrong time to do that as Luke Gazdic was on the ice as well. I don’t think Maroon will be doing that again because Gazzer basically destroyed him with repeated smashes to the face.
It’s so nice to see when the team finally decides they’re tired of taking all the little cheap shots and pushes back. I’d love to see it on a game-by-game basis to be honest. The team’s PK is pretty darn good, so I’m not worried about that. Check out the fight at the end of the post below.
Next game is up against the upstart Arizona Coyotes. I feel like we should be wary of them because their goalie is back to his shenanigans and Max Domi is really lighting it up so far but there’s another part of me that says, “Come on… It’s the Coyotes. What harm can they do?”… So I’ll be looking forward to the Oilers maintaining the momentum but it is the latter half of a back-to-back, so cautious optimism it is!
The Beer League Heroes Merch Shop is having a HUGE SALE on right now! Everything is up to 30% off! It’s a perfect time to get the kids some 16-bit Superstar shirts! Click the pic below to head over and check out the designs!
GAZZER FIGHTS!
