Oilers' rematch win vs. Blues shows team's growth into possible contender

If styles make the fight, then the St. Louis Blues will always be a wicked matchup for the Edmonton Oilers. 

We saw it this past Saturday in Edmonton, where the Blues scored 5:04 into the game and then pounded out a 2-0 win on the strength of an empty netter with 62 seconds to play. In between, the Blues ground the beautiful game into a fine powder, checking the Oilers into the proverbial earth. 

Four days later in Missouri, the Oilers — in their first road game of the 2022-23 season — beat St. Louis at their own game in a 3-1 win. 

OK — the Blues outshot Edmonton 39-28 — but give the Oilers credit. They played steady, solid, defensive hockey and never cheated for their offence. 

Seven Oilers had one point each and Zach Hyman had two, as Edmonton threw a total team effort at the Blues.

This was the game Edmonton has traditionally lost. The fact they have played two of them within four days and acquitted themselves exceptionally well isn’t just a good sign. 

It’s a milepost in the maturity of a team that wants to go from being known as a tough out, to a legit contender. This game will return when it matters most — in May and June — and it appears the Oilers are ready to contest it. 

“We just stuck with it the whole game. It was a hard fought game, the whole way through,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, whose 200^th career goal stood up as the winner. 

Nugent-Hopkins entered the year under fire for his five-on-five play after finishing last season with just seven even strength goals. Through seven games this season, he leads his team with four even strength goals and two game winners, as the Oilers crawl above .500 at 4-3 heading into a Thursday night game in Chicago, then a big Hockey Night in Canada matchup in Calgary. 

After an entire career spent near the bottom of the Pacific Division standings, no one is enjoying being on a competitive Oilers club more than Nugent-Hopkins. 

“Obviously, a lot of years,” he said. “Some great times and some tougher years to start. But it’s nice to see where we’re at now, how we played last year, and the tenacity and the will to win every night we’re starting to find again.” 

In a tight, competitive 1-1 game, Nugent-Hopkins went to the net and banged a puck out of the air behind Jordan Binnington with 6:16 to play. There were no pretty goals in this game — a Jesse Puljujarvi deflection (for his fist point of the season), a Ryan O’Reilly baseball swing and a Hyman empty netter accounted for the rest of the scoring. 

“Where Ryan scored that goal, I’m proud of. He went to a hard area to have success,” said his coach, Jay Woodcroft. 

••• 

With back-to-back games on the road, Woodcroft gave backup Stuart Skinner the start in goal, and he was the game’s first star. 

“It was fun. I had a blast out there,” said the rookie. “It was my first time playing against St Louis, and I just tried to enjoy myself.” 

Skinner has allowed just four goals on 92 shots through his first two starts and a relief appearance, which makes for a tidy .957 saves percentage and a miniscule 1.14 goals against average. 

 “It feels good, but I don’t want that to get in the way,” he said of the early season stats. “We have a long ways to go —  we’re just a couple of games in.” 

Skinner gives the Oilers a ton of confidence, walking into a difficult building and grabbing two points in regulation. That level of goaltending will allow Jack Campbell to play less and stay sharper, and who knows how valuable Skinner could eventually be? 

He turns 24 on Tuesday and has just 17 NHL games under his belt. 

“Unbelievable,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Stuey tonight, the second period he made some massive saves (on 20 Blues’ shots) to keep us in it. Their goalie played well too, so you need that kind of performance back there.” 

“I’ve seen him grow,” said Woodcroft of his old AHL goalie in Bakersfield. “He’s trying to stake a claim to play as many games as he can. He has the confidence of his teammates, and the confidence of his coaching staff. I feel good any time (he plays). That’s what his teammates think (too).” 

An Oilers team that played relatively well for four straight games against Buffalo, Carolina, St. Louis and Pittsburgh — but only won two of those games — gets full marks for a 60-minute effort and well-earned two points to open this road trip. 

“That game (versus St. Louis) at Rogers Place, it was a bit tighter checking than tonight. Less chances — tonight was a higher pace,” Woodcroft said. “We skated at a level that we felt good about. We’ve given up five goals in the last three games — we feel good about that. We found a way to stay with things in a tough building.” 

On to Chicago.