The Edmonton Oilers looked sloppy early in a game against Utah, but they stormed back with a strong special teams effort to win in overtime.
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The Edmonton Oilers claimed a gritty, but often sloppy, 4-3 overtime victory against the Utah Hockey Club on Friday night. Edmonton had to overcome a slow start and unforced errors to storm back after going down 2-0. They scored three unanswered, let Utah tie it up, then won in overtime to secure two crucial points. Here are the key takeaways from a game that highlighted both their strengths and ongoing issues.
Vasily Podkolzin opened the scoring at full strength, netting in consecutive games for the first time since his rookie season. After that, the Oilers’ power play was a game-changer, scoring twice on three opportunities. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid both scored.
Meanwhile, Edmonton’s penalty kill remained perfect, extending its streak to 17 straight kills. The Oilers need their special teams to start doing what it’s supposed to do. If the penalty kill has found its groove, the power play just needs to catch up and start cashing in. Friday’s game was a good sign.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins delivered one of his best plays of the season, stripping the puck in overtime and racing down the ice to score the game-winner. The play not only gave the Oilers their first win in Utah but also showcased Nugent-Hopkins’ clutch factor. As Draisaitl put it, “Nuggy is a clutch player… we probably get more excited than he does.” Whether this sparks a hot streak for Nugent-Hopkins remains to be seen, but his game-winner was a much-needed boost.
Nugent-Hopkins said after the game that he was just looking for a spot and tried to hit it. He noted that he’s missed spots this year by a few inches. “It’s nice to see it go in every once and a while.”
McDavid recorded a goal and an assist, extending his recent hot streak to 29 points in his last nine games. However, he and his line were on the ice for all three Utah goals, including a costly turnover that led to the first goal against.
The exchange between McDavid and Evan Bouchard was disjointed and the Oilers didn’t look ready early. He failed to backcheck on the first goal even though he was the reason it happened — which was a surprise. The good news was that McDavid did seem to get going and find his stride as the game wore on.
He and the Oilers steadied the ship, even if they weren’t sharp and their defensive lapses were a concern in this matchup. Draisaitl said: “I think we found our legs a little bit and started to take pride playing with the puck. When you throw pucks away and don’t take care of them, you’re defending a lot.”
There were times in the game when the Oilers were being badly outworked. The Oilers committed 12 turnovers and allowed Utah to capitalize on mistakes. Despite this, Edmonton found a way to win, with a strong finish fueled by their special teams and timely plays.
While this wasn’t a clean performance, contributions from their power play and a strong penalty kill led to an important two points.
Pickard, starting in net after the Oilers’ five-day break, made 28 saves to keep the game within reach during a shaky first period. His steady play gave Edmonton the chance to recover and eventually win, underscoring the importance of reliable goaltending in tight games.
Pickard hasn’t played much this season and, at times, he hasn’t played great. This was a nice performance for a player who was a solid backup for the team last season. Pickard is an important piece of the Oilers puzzle.
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