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The Golden Knights won their 40th game of the season on the heels of a two goal performance by Jonathan Marchessault. Malcolm Subban turned aside sixteen of nineteen Oiler shots in light duty, and the Oilers have been all but mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ 23rd goal of the season gives him 59 points on the year. while Connor McDavid added to his 100+ point season with a couple of assists en route to the loss. The Oilers are seven points out of the second wild-card position with ten games to play. That’s a maximum of 91 points on the season, and there are three teams between the OIlers and the second wild card position right now. What are the odds that the Oilers win all ten remaining games to leapfrog four teams into a wild-card berth? They gotta be good, Right?
Leon is having himself a fine season (he scored his 43rd goal of the year last night) but this is a moment he’s already chucked into the dustbin. This is Alex Tuch’s 19th of the season, it is Vegas’ sixth and final goal of the game.
DISAPPOINTED
I’ve put away the carving knives for now. There’s plenty of offseason to look back on the twelfth of thirteen consecutive seasons without playoffs. There is plenty of time to take a look back onto Connor McDavid’s third of four NHL seasons without a playoff game. A 100 point scorer, a possible 50 goal scorer, and a season career high in points by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins without a steady supporting cast is the norm around these parts.
But, we’re going to hold back for now. Hey, did you see Calgary clinched a playoff berth?
PLAYING OUT THE STRING
Oilers have a road game in St. Louis on Tuesday, they then come home for five straight starting with Columbus on Thursday. Cheer on Leon’s quest for 50, or cheer on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ run to 70 points (he’ll need just a bit more than one a game). The playoffs will come, the Stanley Cup will be awarded in mid-June. The Oilers will once again need a plan to attack the offseason. The draft will be near, they’ll need to add at least a couple of difference makers to the top six. They’ll need to see if they can move one or two boat anchor contracts.
Lather, rinse, repeat.