Oilers Ground Jets In 4-3 Win

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 4-3 on Sunday night. The team got the win on the backs of some secondary scoring as well as a superb last-second goal by Leon Draisaitl. Kyle Turris got his first as an Oiler as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto got the other Edmonton markers.

The Oilers record improves to 3-4-0 on the year and they jump ahead of the Calgary Flames to take fourth place in the North Division. The Oilers will be back in action against the Jets on Tuesday as they look to get their record back to .500.

This was a helluva game to watch no matter who you cheered for! If you weren’t able to watch, I got the recap right here....

First Period:

I will completely honest when I say that I woke up from a nap later than expected and missed most of the opening frame. I’m stupid, I know.

From what I did see it seemed to be a pretty back and forth affair. The Jets had a chip on their shoulder after losing one of their superstars and it looked like they used some of those feelings as fuel in this game. Edmonton was able to stave off the offence for the most part, but it was Adam Lowry who got struck first blood. He beat Koskinen in tight to give the Jets a 1-0 lead at the 10-minute mark.

Andrew Copp seemingly put the Jets up by 2-0 a few minutes later but it was called back on a goaltender interference challenge. The Oilers would get a chance on the power-play late in the period but failed to capitalize before the buzzer rang. 1-0 Jets at the end of 20.

Second Period:

If the Jets had a slight advantage in the first period then the Oilers had a HUGE advantage in the second. They dominated the pace of play and spent the majority of the period in the Jets' end. They got things going early as Puljujarvi drove the net and Nugent-Hopkins poked in the puck to tie things up less than a minute in.

Edmonton didn’t stop there. All four lines were rolling and putting relentless pressure on Laurent Brossoit. At the 10-minute mark, the Oilers had already outshot the Jets by a margin of 13-2. They would have a power-play chance in the middle of this pressure, but were not able to capitalize, although it looked better than previous chances.

The effort would eventually pay off for the Oilers as Kassian would feed Kyle Turris on the rush who would beat Brossoit over the shoulder, giving Edmonton their first lead of the night. Winnipeg would have a chance to tie on a late power-play but the Oilers would fend them off.

The Oilers took a 2-1 lead into the final period.

Third Period:

This was quite the rollercoaster of emotions for Oilers fans. Things weren’t looking too great as Winnipeg was in control of most of this period. They peppered Koskinen early and often and this lead to the Jets eventually tying the game after Nik Ehlers was left all alone in the slot.

Directly after the tying goal, the Jets would get an opportunity on the power-play which they would convert on. Blake Wheeler would try to get the puck across the crease but it bounced off Kris Russell’s knee and into the net. All of a sudden it was 3-2 lead for the Jets with less than five minutes on the board. It looked like the Oilers had let this one slip away from them.

This is where things get a little crazy. First off, McDavid would send a fantastic cross-ice pass to find Yamamoto to tie the game at 3-3 with just over 3 minutes left to play. Then Puljujarvi drew a high-sticking call on the subsequent play to give the Oilers a power-play for the remainder of regulation. They held the puck in the Jets end but were not able to get any clean looks on Brossoit.

Just as it seemed like the game was destined for overtime, the puck came to Leon Draisaitl on the left circle and he potted the game-winner with no time on the clock. They would review the goal but it would stand. A buzzer-beater in the truest sense of the term.

The Oilers take this one in regulation by a score of 4-3.

Takeaways:

• Jesse Puljujarvi is a good hockey player! The Finn had his best game of the season so far and it came on the top line. He was involved in the play all night long and had a few close chances himself. He was the main driver on the Nugent-Hopkins goal that tied things up in the second and he very nearly got the game-winner himself in the final minutes. Good things happen when you stick skill with skill.
• Mikko Koskinen was great tonight as well. The two goals against in third period might make you think otherwise but he didn’t really have a chance on either. He was big when he needed to be and helped bail the Oilers out on a few defensive breakdowns.
• Speaking of defence, I don’t think it was the strongest performance for the Edmonton group. They allowed Winnipeg to penetrate the slot more times than I am comfortable with and they didn’t seem to tighten things up. The Ehlers goal was a key example of this. They need more structure in own their end if they want sustained success.
• This was the best game we have seen from the third line. I think Kassian gels a lot better than Puljujarvi did on that line and it finally paid off. Turris got his first as an Oiler and was the first guy not in the top six to score this season...Oilers need more of that.
• Tonight wasn’t a complete game by the Oilers. They really only had sustained pressure in the second period and let off the gas for most of the third. If it wasn’t for that late-game surge it could’ve easily been a Winnipeg win.
• Edmonton is in dire need of some wins early on in this season and Tuesday will provide them with an opportunity to get their first series sweep of the season. You can catch that one at 6pm MTN on Tuesday.