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Morning, folks!
A mixed bag last night, as 35 or so atrocious minutes saw the Oilers go down 0-2 to the desperate — and brutal — Montreal Canadiens before 25 good ones saw them complete the comeback to win 4-2 in Montreal.
There are no pictures on the scorecard, folks, and that’s a great result considering their Pacific Division rivals lost last night — like, all of them — and that’s really a game they had to have. There are no free nights in the NHL but there are some genuinely struggling teams, and the Habs are certainly the latter. It would have been considered two critical dropped points had they not been able to turn it around.
But they did.
Mike Smith proved me wrong last night, with Mikko Koskinen seemingly healthy and ready to go he still got the nod and played arguably his best game in his last 10. A few crucial saves, a handful of flashy snags, and some actually good puck handling around the trapezoid marked a very good performance from the much-maligned netminder.
Once again the depth came good with Alex Chiasson, Riley Sheahan and Josh Archibald all factoring in on the scoresheet with goals. Jujhar Khaira’s struggles seem to be continuing, however, and it might not be long before he’s swapped out for someone like Tyler Benson. Kris Russell was objectively brutal, but he often is, and it doesn’t seem to affect his ability to receive ice time.
Calgary’s up next on Saturday night, in a game in which one streak will end. Calgary’s won four straight to Edmonton’s three and both teams carry an identical 24-17-5 record coming in, with Edmonton ahead in the standings by way of tiebreaker.
From Us
Oilers Mount Comeback In 4-2 Win Over Canadiens (Copper and Blue)
GAME THREAD: Edmonton Oilers vs. Montreal Canadiens (Copper and Blue)
Hot Links: Thursday, January 9 (Copper and Blue)
From Elsewhere
Competition Heating Up In Race For Edmonton Oilers’ Net (Sun)
Deadline Targets: Getting In On The Senators’ Impending Fire Sale (Oilersnation)
Oil Spills: Are Edmonton Oilers Better With Connor McDavid And Leon Draisaitl Together Or Apart? (Journal)
Canadiens Hit New Levels Of Dejection As Loss To Oilers Extends Skid (Sportsnet)
Oilers Turn Tables On Canadiens In Confidence-Building Comeback Win (Sportsnet)
Hapless Habs Unravel Against Oilers For 8th Consecutive Loss (CBC)
For Money
10 Bold Predictions For The Edmonton Oilers In 2020 (Athletic)
Mike Smith Stars In Oilers Victory, But Others’ Struggles Could Prompt Changes (Athletic)