VANCOUVER — If they don’t tend to ask “How?” but rather, “How many?”, then it might be time to start asking how many different ways can the Edmonton Oilers find to win games this season?
And how does a team win 10 straight games on the road, stretching back to last season?
After missing plenty of chances to break the game open in the first period, Edmonton hunkered down and gutted out a 2-1 win at Vancouver Saturday, preserving a shutout until the 19:55 mark of the third period.
The power play rose to the rescue on a two-for-two night, with a rare goal chipped in by the second unit.
Should head coach Dave Tippett consider giving that group more than their usual 20-30 seconds on any given power play?
“I don’t know,” said Warren Foegele, who bashed in some net-front garbage for the game’s opening goal with one second left on a first period power play. “That first group is pretty good. We get to watch it on the bench just like you guys (from the press box), and they move the puck so well, and create a lot of chances.”
Quietly, over two seasons, the Oilers have set a team record with 10 straight road wins. Not so quietly, Edmonton has marched to a 6-1 start with a stifling, efficient 2-1 victory over the Canucks.
They were excellent five-on-five and if not for Thatcher Demko and a couple of goal posts Edmonton could easily have doubled its offensive output. Vancouver managed to saw off with Edmonton at five-on-five, but simply couldn’t handle a power play that is miles in front of the rest of the NHL at a whopping 47.8 per cent.
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Back in his hometown, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gave us an example of why this Oilers power play is historically good when he grabbed a deflected puck and turned it into gold. Luke Schenn blocked Connor McDavid’s pass into the slot and the puck deflected to Nugent-Hopkins, who deftly put it on a tee for Leon Draisaitl, who buried it from his favorite spot.
It’s when the structure breaks down that this unit becomes most lethal, freelancing as the PK box breaks down in response to a shot or a rebound.
“They have a little bit of structure,” began Tippett. “It bounces around a little bit, it’s off a skate — bing, bing, bing — and then it’s road hockey. And Leon likes it when the road hockey finishes with him, right in that spot.”
The assist was Nugent-Hopkins’ 10th of the season, tops in the NHL. He still hasn’t scored a goal this season, yet sits in a tie for 12th in league scoring, mostly due to a power play where he has set up six goals already this season.
“He’s a huge part of it,” said Zach Hyman, the low man on that unit. “He touches the puck so much — on the wall, in the middle. … He’s a massive piece.”
As a net-front presence, Hyman made a better door than a window Saturday, as Draisaitl rang a few shots off of his limbs. Did he think the big German would ever score?
“After me blocking so many chances?” Hyman asked. “I’m just happy he got it. You try not to move, ’cause those shooters can find (the lane). It’s unlucky he hit me both times.”
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As a footnote, McDavid’s streak of multi-point games to start a season ended at six. He only managed a single assist Saturday and missed out on most of the empty-net time when Darnell Nurse was sent to the penalty box for cross-checking.
In a game that featured just three minor penalties, Edmonton scored on both of their power plays, then killed the Canucks’ off in the final four minutes while Demko was on the bench for the sixth skater. It was a fire drill in Edmonton’s zone, with Koskinen making two fantastic saves, allowing only Brock Boeser’s snipe under the bar with five seconds to play.
“Duncan Keith and (Cody) Ceci did a great job banging around there,” Tippett said of the duo that just keeps giving him dependable second-pairing minutes. “If they get one early, now there’s two minutes to go and you’re battling. But we killed the penalty.”
Koskinen, steady and at times spectacular in making 29 saves, was every bit a star in this one. After a so-so outing his last time out, Koskinen has now gone 4-1 in the Oilers’ last five games with Mike Smith injured and made a handful of key late saves after Vancouver pulled Demko with more than four minutes to play.
The big Finn may have some questionable digits on his expiring contract that pays him $4.5 million per season. But his numbers this season — a .934 saves percentage and a 2.26 goals-against average — are first rate. He’s got four of Edmonton’s six wins, with Smith hoping to make his return from injury on Monday against Seattle.
“Mikko was unbelievable,” noted Foegele.
A lot of things are “unbelievable” in Edmonton so far this season.
It will be fun to see if it can last, and for how long?
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