Edmonton Oilers rewarded for patient game with a 3-2 OT win in Detroit, win 9 straight

Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers takes a first period shot against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on January 11, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. Photo by Gregory Shamus /Getty Images

Edmonton won their franchise-tying 9^th consecutive win on Thursday with a 3-2 overtime win in The Motor City.

The Edmonton Oilers dominated the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, out shooting the wings 47-17 in a patient performance. The only things that kept the Red Wings in this one was luck, some favorable calls (and non-calls) and the superlative goaltending of Detroit’s Alex Lyon. Lyon was quite righty awarded the game’s 1^st Star.

After ensuring a plodding 15-minute review that took a goal away on Tuesday, it took the league seconds to ignore goaltender interference on Detroit’s 1-0. Then, the zebras waived off Evander Kane’s would-be winner for a hand-pass.

The NHL apparently had no recourse for Darnell Nurse’s OT winner.

Here is the tale of the tape…

CALVIN PICKARD. 7. Sharp early save on Fischer and then batted the rebound away himself. Good stop in close on Larkin a couple shifts later. Then after a long stretch with no shots steered aside a Kane shot with his stick at the 2^nd of the 1^st Frame. Cleaned up a bouncing puck that had eaten up Darnell Nurse with a high blocker save. A fine stop on Fisher. Double stops on Raymond to start the 3^rd. Beaten on the 1-0 by a point shot which featured a clip of his glove in front which the NHL did not see fit to rule as Goalie Interference. Got a glove on a shot that subsequently rang off both posts and out. It would have been 2-0 Detroit at that juncture. Unlucky on the 2-2, a wild deflection off Nurse’s shin. You will take this from your organizational #3 netminder every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

CONNOR McDAVID. 7. Knocked David Perron off his feet with a hard hit in the 1^st. A fine backcheck disrupted a Red Wings sortie. Dangerous shot on the first PP. Fed Hyman for a good late 1^st Period chance. Sprung Hyman for a near-break in the 2^nd frame. Could not stuff home a pretty back-hand pass by Leon, nore a good pass by Bouchard. Tied the game at 1 by grabbing a loose puck at the blueline, beating 3 Red Wings and then their goalie, with a nifty forehand back-hand tuck. Career point 906 ties him with Glenn Anderson for 5^th in the franchise all-time. 2 hits, 7 shots. 53% on draws. 5v5 CF 35-15, 70%.

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 7. Solid work on the wall which led to an excellent Hyman chance in the 1^st. Very nearly batted home a deflection after a hard play by Hyman behind the goal line. Helped win a critical zone clear on the PK after the failed Coach’s Challenge. Won a battle in front that enabled him to putt a pass back to Hyman for the 2-1. Fine work on the PK. +3. Playing some of his very best hockey.

ZACH HYMAN. 8. On a major-league roll. Rang a crossbar part way through the 1st Period. A head’s-up interception negated a Detroit attack. A dangerous chance late in the 1^st after a McDavid feed. A poke check disrupted his charge to the net after a fine 3-way passing play. Helped create a close-in chance for Nugent-Hopkins late in the 2^nd. Hammered home a Nugent-Hopkins pass for the 2-1. Primary assist on the OT winner. +3. 5v5 CF 34-15, 69%. Hard to imagine him not being an NHL All Star.

DARNELL NURSE. 7. Displayed excellent gap on a Patrick Kane rush in the 1^st. Victimized by a bouncing puck forcing a sharp save by Pickard. It was a harbinger of things to come. Rocketed up the ice to create a short-handed 2-on-1 with Nugent-Hopkins. Just unlucky on the 2-2 as a pass deflect wildly off his shin pad, handcuffing Pickard who got a piece of it but could not find the rebound. Won the game in overtime by finding a puck that Detroit had chipped blindly into the slot and wristing it high and hard stick-side for the 3-2. High Dangers 5v5 2-2 while facing a parade of Detroit’s best.

CODY CECI. 6. A season high 3 1^st Period shots. Excellent close on DeBrincat on a 2^nd Period PK. Solid.

LEON DRAISAITL. 6. 1^st Period shot block. Turn-around shot on a 1^st Period PP plus a hard back-check to disrupt a Detroit short-handed chance. Could not quite convert a good Foegele pass in the 2^nd. Intercepted an errant Larkin pass and nearly drained it 5-hole. A slick backhand pass to 97 who could not cash. In on a 3-way play that Foegele could not drain. A shift later, a phenomenal backhand pass that Foegele also could not finish. 3 shots. No points but a going concern for Detroit all game long. 80% on draws.

RYAN MCLEOD. 5. A tidy 1^st period setup which Draisaitl could not get a handle on. Helped set up Foegele for a 3^rd Period chance. 4 shots. But not as noticeable as he has been recently.

WARREN FOEGELE. 6. A bunch of demanding work along the walls in the 1^st. A fine feed to Draisaitl early in the 2^nd who just missed converting. 3^rd Period shot at the end of a 3-way play with Draisaitl and McLeod. Could not drain a Draisaitl back-hand feed either. Good PK work.

MATTIAS EKHOLM. 8. A tower of power. Good shot block in the 1^st. A double-clear on a 2^nd Period PK. His hard shot nearly converted into the 1-0 on a baseball-like swing by Nugent-Hopkins. A major force in front on the 2-1 goal, a major reason that goal was scored and a well-deserved assist for his efforts. A hit and 4 shots in a team leading 24:13. And he consistently put put one Detroit spark after another. High Dangers 5v5 7-0 with him on the ice!

EVAN BOUCHARD. 4. Bouchard has taken a major step forward this season but was a turnover machine tonight. 1^st Period shot. A turnover in the 1^st and two more early in the 2nd. Then took an ill-advised holding penalty but his mates killed that off. Set up McDavid for a late 2^nd Period look. Another turnover on the PP but recovered with a desperate stick. Another turnover in the 3^rd. A hard finish on Copp in his own zone. The Fancy Stats made him look way better than he in reality was.

DEREK RYAN. 4. Terrific deflection just stopped by the Red Win goalie’s quick pad, the best save by either goalie in the 1st. Won a hard battle in his own zone leading to an important zone clear on the PK. He and Kane lost puck battles on the wall ahead of the 1-0. Made up for it somewhat with a hard-fought puck battle to clear the zone on a subsequent Detroit PP. Won a battle in front and brought down a puck that Kane hammered home. It was disallowed due to a hand-pass (which I think WAS the right call) but Ryan was flattened by a cross-check in the numbers that went uncalled. -2. No questioning the effort, the results were just not as good tonight.

EVANDER KANE. 4. 1^st Period hit. Excellent back check early in the 2^nd on Seider. He and Ryan lost a puck battle on the wall leading to the 1-0. Appeared to have won the game late but the goal was called back for a hand pass. -2. Had his moments in this one but not quite back to his usual level, yet.

MATTIAS JANMARK. 5. A high shot gave the goalie trouble in the back half of the 1^st. A hard play in the Detroit zone drew an Oilers Power Play. Solid & reliable.

BRETT KULAK. 7. Was excellent in this one. Great stick may have saved a goal in the 1^st. Whistled for a hook in the 2^nd but his teammates killed that one off, too.5v5 CF of 19-6, 76%. High Dangers 3-1 with him on the ice.

VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 7. Sent a shot-pass into the high slot which Derek Ryan very nearly deflected home. A terrific PK shift in the 2^nd with 2 interceptions and a shot block in the same shift. High Dangers 2-0 5v5. He was very good.

JAMES HAMBLIN. 4. Important shot block in the 1^st, then same shift stole a puck which Janmark concerted into a good chance. Went pretty quiet after that. But in fairness, he did not see a lot of ice, either.

CONNOR BROWN. 4. Managed a close in shot on the PP in the 1^st. Gave up way too much gap up top on the 1-0. Good on the PK. Otherwise, rarely seems “involved”. -2.

ADAM ERNE. 5. Punched a puck through coverage which Ceci managed to direct on net. 2^nd Period hit. Solid zone clear deep into the 3^rd.

Edmonton is 17-3-0 in their last 20, and sit at 22-15-1, 45 points…good for the first wildcard position in the West and a mere 3 points back of L.A. for 3rd in the Pacific.

The Oilers are in Montreal Saturday.

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