On one of the weirder nights of the NHL qualifying round — as if playing in an empty quarantine bubble wasn’t strange enough to begin with — the Edmonton Oilers proved that, yes, it is possible to deserve a better fate in a game you had no business winning.
After shooting themselves in the foot for the better part of 40 minutes Wednesday, the Oilers, in an astonishing bit of perseverance, still had enough ammunition left to leave the Chicago Blackhawks bleeding out in the final minutes of the third period.
It was truly impressive to watch. Edmonton lost first pairing defenceman Adam Larsson before the game, lost second line winger Tyler Ennis to a leg injury midway through it and gave Chicago six power plays in the first 32 minutes.
And they were winning! Up 3-2 on two goals from Leon Draisaitl, one from Connor McDavid and show-stealing work from their penalty killing units.
Then, after nothing more than a will to win put them close enough to a 2-1 series lead that they could touch it, they gave up two lucky goals in the final 5:47 of the third period and lost 4-3.
You try and write that game story.
“You are tempting fate when you take penalties, especially when your penalty killers are taking them,” said head coach Dave Tippett.
“But we got the goal at the end of the second (to go up 3-2) and not much is happening at either end. You’re rolling along… and we make a couple of mistakes.”
The back-breakers were a couple of seeing-eye goals that were par for the game. Matthew Highmore threw his stick in front of a point shot and it grazed Mikko Koskinen’s shoulder and went in the only place a puck could fit at 14:13. Then Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear accidentally deflected another one, off the post and in, no less, and it was game over.
“Deflections,” sighed Tippett. “Sometimes they go wide or hit the goalie. This time they found their way in.”
This time it wasn’t Edmonton’s night. And, in the end, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
“We didn’t get off to the start we wanted, but we took over the first period after they got one,” said McDavid. “Then just far too many penalties. The refs are calling lots of stuff, we know that, we just have to be more disciplined.
“But the penalty kill did a great job keeping us in it and we got ourselves back in the game, and in control of the game. Then two shots from the point end up in the net.”
It’s tough to dump on them because of how well the Oilers fought through adversity, and it’s hard to pat them on the back when so much of that adversity was self inflicted.
When you give the other team six minor penalties in the first 32 minutes, you deserve to lose. But when you withstand it, fight back and take a lead into the stretch drive, you probably deserve to win.
“We battled, and put ourselves in a position at the end of the game where we could have won,” said defenceman Darnell Nurse. “But some bounces went the other way. Now we have to respond on Friday with our best game.”
That’s the only thing that matters now. It’s not about categorizing Game 3, it’s about playing like it’s life or death in Game 4.
It starts with bringing more energy and staying out of the penalty box. The Oilers were undisciplined and lacking spark in both of their losses and have used up the last of their breathing room. It will take two ferocious efforts to survive two games against an equally resilient Chicago team that’s riding a tenacious blend of championship experience and young skill.
“We all know the situation that we’re in,” said Draisaitl. “We have to prepare for a back-to-backs (Friday and Saturday) and do whatever it takes to win two games in a row.”
LATE HITS — Larsson was a late scratch, declared unfit to play just half an hour before puck drop, and was replaced by Caleb Jones… Ennis left the game late in the second period, unable to put any weight on his right leg, after a hit from Kirby Dach.
