HOCKEY: In the Box with Brent & Craig
Hott Oill
The Oilers have won – checks notes – five in a row, and 9 of their last 11 games and are – checks notes again – 1 point out of first place in the North.
(At this point your narrator passes out handing it off to Craig and Brent to make sense of this feeling we all have. Optimism? Joy? Terror?… who knows.)
Craig Douglas
Feb 19: Oilers 2 Flames 1
It was perhaps not the most electric edition of the Battle of Alberta, but it might have been one of the quickest. This game must have lasted just over two hours – and maybe even less. Whatever it may have lacked in electricity, it made up for it in satisfaction. It’s always satisfying to defeat the Flames, and it got the team rolling into a winning streak that may still be going by the time you read this. Another one of those rare (though not as rare as they once were) games in which the Oilers manage to win despite having their two MVP candidates held off the scoresheet. The continuing emergence of Jesse Puljujarvi, who opened the scoring, and the game winning first goal of the season for Gaetan Haas were all the offensive output the Oil would require for the victory, as Mike Smith turned aside 20/21 of the shots he faced. Calgary put up a good fight, but Edmonton showed excellent defensive resilience in limiting the number of chances and actually made it look kind of easy. While not nearly as fun as the following night’s clash, this is the kind of game that gets played in the playoffs, and it was reassuring to see the Oil prove themselves capable of playing whichever style they need to in order to get those two points from the bastards of southern Alberta.
Brent Oliver
Feb 20: Oilers 7 Flames 1
7-1 Beatdown on Calgary. 5 points by McDavid. What else is there to say about the best player in the world? (Sorry Cassie. But Auston is not better).
I had to watch this on delay after a movie night with my family. I know I know… stupid priorities. The concentrated joy of watching the Oilers actually win on Hockey Night and beat a team twice, on back to back nights continues to beg the question: “Are the Oilers for real?”
With these two games against the Flames in the rear view, we’ll have to see when more formidable challengers come up – including the three in a row against the Leafs coming up. I’ll allow myself to be happy for this win, and the string of wins for now – but a couple stinkers in a row and we’re back to Frustration Town.
Feb 23: Oilers 4 Canucks 3
Craig
The Beat Down against Calgary followed by The Big Comeback against Vancouver, and it is Fonzie Days here in Edmonton all culminating in a five game win streak while the Oil & winners of nine of eleven games in the month of February. I could make them look even better by choosing more arbitrary end points than just a calendar month, but let’s just be happy with that, 9-2 in the month of February with one more game to go.
The Big Comeback against Vancouver was a fantastic game that rewarded fans for sticking around, and I know I wasn’t the only one who thought about perhaps watching something else – like the restarted outdoor debacle that had resumed many hours after it had started and the sun had gone down. Of course it started out with the classic Oiler blunder of allowing the first goal on the first shot of the game. I won’t use this to malign the play of Mike Smith, since he’s been on fire lately, but that goal by Horvat was inexcusable, since it had Smith looking literally asleep just over a minute into the match. Being down 3-0 barely fifteen minutes into the game had me reaching for the rum, but since I was watching the game well behind real time, I also reached for my phone to text Brent and asked him to convince me to continue watching.
We were all rewarded for our patience with a pair of goals by the oft maligned Dominic Kahun that had us within striking distance of the bumbling Canucks and their porous play. Only a few short minutes later a predictable power play goal by you-know-who got the Oil back to even, and suddenly the local boys had the Canucks right where they wanted them, and I don’t think anyone was surprised when Ennis got the Oil the game winning goal with just over six minutes remaining.
The game was far from perfect, but a hell of a lot of fun to watch. The Oil gave up that horrendous goal on the first shot of the game, got outshot, and were badly outworked on the face off circle, but they did convert on a power play to tie the game, while also shutting down Vancouver’s special teams. So it wasn’t all bad, and sometimes a big comeback can be just what was needed to remind the team and the fans that they were always better than their opponents.
Brent
Feb 25: Oilers 3 Canucks 0
OK – I have to be honest – this game was on my birthday. I had to watch it on delay since my wife threw me a surprise pizza party in my neighbours backyard and I had a couple (maybe 6) Manhattans to stay warm. Regardless of this, after the kids went to bed I settled in to watch this on delay, fully expecting for the Oilers to end their winning streak, lose on my birthday and Smith to come up with his patented “Mike Smith Games” where he’s chased in the 1st period.
After a bit of a shaky first, the Oil kept it tied 0-0 until half way through the 2nd when Alex “I still can’t believe he’s on the team” Chaisson netted the first goal, followed by Poolparty and an empty netter by Captain Connor. Well Oilers, you shut out my most hated sports franchise in all the world and won the 2nd of a back to back – on my birthday. Thanks buddies.
I still have the feeling that I had after the Calgary series which is nagging at me and the reason I can’t enjoy anything in my life, “Are the Oilers really this good?”. At this point, the best I can muster is an “I think so?” for the following reasons. Connor and Drai are golden, the support has been solid on their lines and the bottom 6 forwards have been excellent in their roles. The defence has been much better – somehow anchored around the return of Evan Bouchard, who is quietly turning into my new favourite player. Smith has only had one stinker game this season, but I believe there’s more in his future because like I said before, I hate myself. The coaching has adapted to a couple different styles – clampdown and boring when it needs to be, fast and offensive when it’s necessary.
I’ll hand it back over to Craig for the awards and Predicsh, but I may feel that weird glimmer of pride in this team which is SUPER weird.
Craig
The Connor McDavid Player of the Week Award brought to you by Humpty’s
It’s actually an unusually long list of players who could have been considered for this prestigious award this week. Kahun chipped in big time with his two goals against the Canucks, Smith managed to hold on while the boys battled back in game one versus the Canucks and then shut them out two days later, Koskinen put up 43 saves while the Oil blew out the Flames, while Puljujarvi, Haas, Chaisson and Archibald all were deserving of praise over the last four games. However, no one can ignore the hat trick and five point night for McDavid, while also putting up eight points in the four games. The award stays where it belongs, nestled in bed with Connor McDavid.
Predicsh brought to you by Huge Ford Trucks
02/27 vs Toronto – The so-called real test of the Division de North, here we go with three straight games against the Maple Leafs, the two teams that have been really rolling as of late. I predict a slow start to the series as both teams act cautiously, easing themselves into the series. A bit of a dud of a game with a conservative style being deployed by both of the opponents,
Final score: Oilers 3 Maple Leafs 2
03/01 vs Toronto – Things heat up as the two teams realize that they are actually in the same division this year and will possibly be battling each other for the chance to make it out of the North. Final score: Maple Leafs 5 Oilers 3
03/03 vs Toronto – The rubber match final sees things stay close as the Oilers show that they can hang with the division leading Leafs, in one of the best matches that anyone will see all year, and one of the most exciting 3 on 3 overtimes anyone will see ever. Final score: Oilers 5 Maple Leafs 4 (OT)
03/06 vs Calgary – The Flames will be playing the Sens the entire time that the Oil are duking it out with a real team, so it will be quite interesting to see where they’re at when the Battle of Alberta reignites on a Saturday night. Wherever they’re at it won’t be enough to quell the Oiler’s momentum, final score: Oilers 4 Flames 2.
(Dude? Wake up! You have to wrap up the column! Are you still passed out from the winning streak? There’s a game tonight against the stupid Leafs and you have to watch that!Dude? Dude!)
See you next time – In the Box.
