Who’s laughing now Henrik? Who’s laughing now? I AM! The Oilers chased that meatball’s ass out of the net yesterday and I couldn’t be happier or more surprised for that matter. 7-5? WTF?! If you guys don’t remember the interview from last year, almost to the day, where Henrik Lundqvist was having a good ‘ol chuckle at the expense of the Oilers after a Rangers win, check it out below:
The amount of games that the Edmonton Oilers have had control of can be counted on one hand. This one barely falls into that category. The New York Rangers weren’t in this game for long stretches of the game and the feeling I got was like that of the one I had when the Oilers were in Carolina recently. I predicted on The Oilers Rig Podcast this week that the Rangers would have too much for the Oilers because I guess I didn’t have faith in the boys that they could continue beating the teams there were in fact beating (Boston, Dallas, and San Jose). Egg on my face why don’t ya?
I had class today so I missed the first 30 minutes about, so when I turned on the boob tube I got to witness Derrick Brassard tie the game up at 3. I wondered in digital form whether this was a good game or if both teams’ defenses decided to take the night off? I think going from the latter half of the match one could argue that it was a little from column A and a little from column B.
I went over to a New York Rangers blog to check out the post game report and their comments section was filled with rage directed at Dan Girardi. I remember asking myself if Girardi and McDonagh were even playing as they’re usually stand out blueliners. I guess tonight wasn’t their night.
I do have a question for you though. Dan Girardi is normally a pretty decent right-handed defenseman. He’s 31 years old, has four years left on his deal after this season and his cap hit is $5.5M per year. If the Oilers could acquire him, would you see that as an upgrade on what the team has currently? Or do you think he’s just be Mark Fayne/Nikita Nikitin 2.0?
Now according the , period one belonged to the Oilers, period two to the Rangers and then period three was a bloody shootout. But whether you were an Oilers fan, a Rangers fan or a neutral; the game was very entertaining! So much scoring!
If you were alive and/or can remember the Oilers dynasty days, did tonight not feel like a throwback game? I mean it’s fitting that on Glen Sather Banner Night that the Oilers and Rangers combine for 12 goals, right? All that was missing was a few throw downs as the Rangers were definitely looking for one. Tanner Glass had a couple of opportunities and the Rangers were all over Darnell Nurse. Well until his goal chased “King” Henrik out of the net.
Getting goals from the bottom 6 has been a problem for the Oilers until recently, so is it just coincidence that as soon as they start producing the team begins winning? Lauri Korpikoski has been less than stellar this season and when I seen that he had scored two goals in the first period, I knew it was going to be a good night. I was happy for him when that third went into the open net. A hat-trick is not an easy thing to pull of in today’s NHL, so good on him and good on McLellan for putting him out there and giving him the opportunity.
When the bottom 6 is humming along and the top 6 decides to get in on that act, that’s amore! Taylor Hall, Leon Draisaitl, and Teddy Purcell combined for 11 points versus the hapless Rangers. That puts Hall in 4th place in scoring and 2nd place in plus/minus (+15). Draisaitl is up to 25th in the league now with 26 points and is sitting above the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Max Pacioretty, and Nathan MacKinnon.
I think it was refreshing for the boys to save Anders Nilsson’s butt as oppose to Nilsson always saving theirs. Anders didn’t have a good night and you had to know it was coming. His .853 Sv% on any other night would have had fans in a huff wondering when Laurent Brossoit would be called up.
On a shitty note, it seems we have lost Oscar Klefbom to injury. He seems to have injured a digit or two according to Joanne Ireland.
Turns out it may be more than a game or two that Klefbom misses. Word is he has a fractured finger.
— Joanne Ireland (@jirelandEJ) December 12, 2015
I’ve seen K-Bom take pucks off the ankles and be the victim of a couple og big hits over the course of the last week or two and I think he’s earned a rest. He’s played really well to date and he very well could be the Seabrook-type player fans have been looking for.
The Oilers are one point out of a playoff spot right now and they’re keeping their heads above water whilst Sir McDavid is on the comeback trail. Benoit Pouliot is out, Rob Klinkhammer is still not ready, and Nail Yakupov will be back around the new year. We’re in full “What If…” mode right now folks and it’s hard not to get overconfident but I think it’d be prudent to just pull back on the reins a little bit. My advice to you my fellow fan is to just enjoy the ride. Keep the expectations manageable and don’t make the mistake of being surprised when the Oilers do a great thing, like win, because this is a very talented team that is seemingly putting the pieces of the puzzle together, slowly.
The wave of oil is building and it’s going to crest. Just be there when it happens.
