Edmonton snuff out Flames in rematch

These ones always feel a bit better than usual.

The Edmonton Oilers exacted revenge against the Calgary Flames in the form of a 3-2 victory on Saturday night.

Zach Hyman scored the winner and had two on the night while Connor McDavid stayed hot with a goal of his own. Stuart Skinner was fantastic between the pipes, stopping 38 of the 40 shots he faced.

First Period:

Both teams had a bit of a jump in their step off the opening faceoff. Considering these two teams only play one more time this season, perhaps a little more emphasis has been put on these battles.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had the game’s first chance for the Oilers, striking iron on a wrist shot from the slot. Tyler Toffoli came back for the Flames on an odd-man rush but couldn’t beat Stuart Skinner, who had to be sharp early on.

Zach Hyman came close late in the period, hitting the crossbar from almost the exact same position as RNH did.

Both teams had some fast and furious chances, but nothing hit twine.

0-0 after the first period.

Second Period:

The Flames drew blood first just under five minutes into the middle frame. Mikael Backlund beat Skinner just under the glove on a shorthanded rush. 1-0 Calgary.

Backlund nearly set up Elias Lindholm on the breakaway the next shift but Skinner extended the pad to deny him, an excellent stop that paid off big time. The Oilers came right back down the ice and Zach Hyman sent a shot that deflected off a Calgary stick and into the net. We were knotted at 1-1.

Brett Ritchie restored the Calgary lead late in the period after pouncing on a puck in front. 2-1 Flames.

That’s where the game would stand heading into the third.

Third Period:

Connor McDavid tied things up at the midway point of the period on a very weird shot.

He sent a dump-in on net and it somehow squeaked under his arm under his blocker. Markstrom caught sleeping and the captain had four goals in two games. 2-2.

Hyman then gave the Oilers their first lead of the gameafter deflecting a pass from McDavid off his skate and into an open net. Hyman had two on the night and Edmonton had the 3-2 lead.

Calgary wouldn’t be able to beat Skinner again as the Oilers complete the comeback!

FINAL: Oilers win 3-2!

Takeaways:

• Stuart Skinner didn’t miss a beat tonight. Another incredibly solid game by the youngster between the pipes. Dare I say we might already be seeing a bit of a goaltending controversy.
• Markus Neimalainen struggled with the game’s pace tonight I thought. Sure, the kid is good for a big hit every now and then, but he isn’t the greatest in his own end. I’d like to see Edmonton try a few other options there as both him and Ryan Murray haven’t convinced me.
• Another underwhelming performance on the backend: Tyson Barrie. That third pairing struggled.
• Connor McDavid is going to score 60+ goals this year isn’t he? Dude is a freak.
• Jesse Puljujarvi chose violence today. He had a good hit on Milan Lucic in the first and was hitting everything in sight. A certain segment of the fanbase should enjoy that.
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is having a helluva start to the season. He was all over the ice and had a few really good looks on Markstrom.
• Evander Kane was a bit of a turnover machine tonight if I am being completely honest. Guess that’s the trade-off you make with that type of player.
• The Oilers are ON FIRE (pun intended) as they win their fourth straight game and sweep their three-game road trip to improve to 6-3-0! They jump the Flames in the standings and will now chase the Vegas Golden Knights for the division lead. Edmonton heads home to host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.