Oilers Explode For 7 Goals Over Blue Jackets

The Oilers didn’t score any goals in Toronto on Sunday night. They made up for it by scoring the game’s first five goals en route to a 7-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. It was a very good night. Sergei Bobrovsky got chased for Joonas Korpisalo, and the Oilers put up another solid effort en route to a win.

• Connor McDavid looks to have moved it up a notch. He’s got four points in last night’s 7-2 win (1-3-4), and he looks like he’s moving effortlessly out there. He’s now third in NHL scoring with 39 points, just three behind Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. He’s not too bad.

• FROM 97 TO 98: Jesse Puljujarvi finished with three points (1-2-3), including that nifty little setup on McDavid’s goal up there. Puljujarvi had three points despite getting no power play time once again (the OIlers were 2/4 on the night on PP). Puljujarvi has earned an extended stay alongside the captain. And maybe some time 5 on 4, hey?
• SPEAKING OF SPECIAL TEAMS: I’ll take a 50% success rate on the power play any night of the week. 2/4 with the extra attacker for the Oilers, and...and...and...they didn’t allow a single goal on the PK (2/2). The Oilers remain dead last in the NHL on the penalty kill (73.3%)
• Laurent Brossoit turned aside 27 of 29 saves for the Oilers en route to his third win of the year. Brossoit yielded two goals in about two and a half minutes of play in the third. This no doubt raised the hair on the backs of some necks, but the OIlers also scored two more after this. Brossoit’s SV% continues upward, but he’s still got a little bit to go en route to cracking the .900 mark.
• Anton Slepyshev got back into the lineup for the first time since November, picking up an assist on Edmonton’s first goal which was scored by Zack Kassian.

• A feel-good night for the Oilers. Sergei Bobrovsky was chased after two periods of play to be replaced by Joonas Korpisalo. The Oilers got secondary scoring from guys like Zack Kassian and Mark Letestu. Milan Lucic got in on a goal. Hell, Matt Benning had one for the Oilers tonight.
• That’s three straight good games for the Oilers, and they’ll have the chance to make it four straight good games when they return home to take on the Predators on Thursday night.
• PLAYOFF PICTURE: Still need a big win streak to get serious about the second season, but a few more good games like the last three and we can start having the conversation in January. Now just win.