It started to surface Sunday evening in one of the Edmonton Oilers’ favourite Eastern Conference buildings. A game we are beginning to recognize, with still a month before playoffs to fine-tune the product.
In Game No. 67, we caught a glimpse of the game with a high enough pedigree that, a year ago, it could win multiple playoff rounds.
Goaltending, patience, a staunch penalty kill, production from around the lineup, dedicated defensive play…
The scuffling Edmonton Oilers skated out onto the ice at Madison Square Garden to open the third period in a 1-1 tie, and when they returned, the dressing room speaker was blaring “La Bamba” after a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers.
“It took a lot of character, after the first two periods, 1-1 going into the third,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “The story in the third period was how many block shots we had. Jeff Skinner, (Vasily) Podkolzin, (Jake) Walman had six blocked shots tonight.
“It was just a lot of guys digging in and doing the right things.”
In a game the Oilers never trailed, Knoblauch resisted the urge to play Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together for more than a handful of post-penalty kill shifts. The result, finally, was some offensive input from the supporting cast.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a three-assist game — his first three-point night of the season — Viktor Arvidsson sniped the game-winner off the rush, and Corey Perry whipped home a power-play rebound as a net-front replacement for the injured Zach Hyman.
And when they needed a goal to seal the deal, Connor McDavid turned back into himself when he walked through the Rangers defence and wired a wrist shot past a helpless Igor Shesterkin with 3:25 left in the game. It marked the ninth consecutive season that McDavid has scored 25 goals.
All are elements that took this team a long way 12 months ago, and all — to varying degrees — have gone missing in the back half of the 2024-25 campaign.
“That’s definitely our mandate. That’s how we want to play games,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Huge blocks, huge moments — and it goes a long way, for sure.
“When we keep things tight and make it tough to play against … when a team plays like that it is frustrating. (New York) didn’t really leak that much, but if we keep doing that, teams will eventually start to leak.”
Yes, the Rangers had played the night before. But they also had every chance to break open a 1-1 game themselves.
But facing one of the elite netminders in the National Hockey League, it was Stuart Skinner they were talking about post-game.
“He gave us every opportunity to win, coming up with timely saves,” Knoblauch said. “I think the biggest time was in the third period on the penalty kill. We needed him there, and he was able to do that.”
The Oilers penalty kill was perfect on three tries, and you know what they say about that: your best penalty killer is the guy in the pads.
“I felt like I made saves when I needed to, and the guys obviously played really well in front of me,” said Skinner “Especially at the end there, (with Shesterkin pulled), we were still blocking shots. They don’t have to do that with 10 seconds left (and a 3-1 lead).”
“Their goalie on the other side, he’s an elite goalie. And Stu I mean…,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “When a guy’s kicking like that back there, it gives you a little boost, gives you some confidence.”
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Edmonton’s offence isn’t out of the woods yet, held to three goals or less in 11 of their past 12 games. They scored nine goals on a four-game road trip, but escaped at 2-2 on the back of solid defensive play and excellent goaltending.
“It’s tight out there, and it’s going to be tight right up to the playoffs,” Arvidsson said. “We’ve got to show that we can play these games too, when it’s tight and there’s a lot of checking.”
Edmonton flew home post-game and the players will get a day off Monday before hosting Utah on Tuesday night at Rogers Place. They’ve got six games left in April and only one — at Seattle — is on the road.
“For me, personally, it’s been tough. I’ve been home probably five days in six weeks,” said Arvidsson, who played for Team Sweden at the 4 Nations. “For sure, it’s going to be nice to get home.”
OIL SPILLS —Draisaitl extended his point streak to 18 games (14-13-27), the longest skein in the NHL this season. He is the fourth Oiler with a streak that long, joining Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky (eight times) … McDavid is now riding an 11-game point streak (3-12-15), his 15th career point streak of at least 11 games. With 1,068 career points, he has tied Joe Pavelski for the 73rd most points in NHL history … Perry’s 15th of the year ties him with Daniel Alfredsson for 69th spot on the all-time goal list with 444. Next up, Rick Middleton at 448.
