The Edmonton Oilers’ dominance against Seattle Cleken continued to win 5-4 on Saturday night (March 22). In 14 games against the newly expanded team, the Oilers had a record of 12-2-0, including nine consecutive meetings to win. The Oilers didn’t have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl due to injuries, but despite this, they scored five goals from the forwards. It’s an excellent team win and can be played on the way forward. These are the three gains from this high score victory.
Nugent-Hopkins score hat trick
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been hot lately, finally reaching the end with his fourth hat-trick of his career, the first ever recorded by the Oiler this season. He has scored four goals and nine points in his last four games since his matches against Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson. The series discovers instant chemistry and provides much-needed scoring touch. The 31-year-old can score up to 48 points in 69 games.
Related: Oiler’s depth of progress must appear with McDavid and Draisaitl
“Ryan’s been playing well, especially since we moved him to centre. The transition has been easier for him, he’s got the puck more, he’s moving, he’s a great disher, and the two guys he’s playing with are playing well, too. Those three have been having great chemistry, and once you get some points, you feel a lot better about your game,” head coach Kris Knoblauch stated during his postgame Presser. Despite his best player being injured, the coach made the right decision instead of splitting the trio. What makes this line successful is Podkolzin’s ability to conduct pre-trials and win hockey battles for his teammates. He scored a team-high six hits and was relentless in the offensive zone. His game has had a positive impact on the Nugent-Hopkins and that line is full of confidence.
The depth of the oil worker is tightening upward
With McDavid and Draisaitl’s roster, there’s someone who needs to step up to grab the opportunity. Nugent-Hopkins’ hat trick was the clutch, but the Oilers also performed well from third-tiers with Jeff Skinner, Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown. Brown set up Skinner on the high post, who shot his third goal in the last two games. Skinner’s confidence is growing and he has been great since the deal deadline. The team needs to do production step by step in the playoffs, hoping Knoblauch will take advantage of him in better situations, especially when their superstars return.
Coach Knoblauch has positive comments on that new third line. “I think they’re really good, and that’s probably our best line. Every time the puck is on Skinner’s stick, I thought he was doing some good drama, and Janmark and Brown were happy. I’m very happy with those guys and we’ll keep it for a while. I can’t give them enough praise.” Brown was great at Skinner’s goal, and Janmark used the speed to get the puck online, and there was a big chance he was turned down by Kraken Netminder. That line produced a mass look, and each of them played the game in the 17-minute north.
Adam Henrique also performed well and marked the final with Powers Championship to open the ninth score of the season. The 35-year-old veteran has been struggling this season, but has strengthened the season without a star player. Hopefully these damages are blessings of disguise, as these deep players need to get out and find some confidence in the playoffs. It is a dangerous group if they can continue to contribute, especially when the team is fully healthy.
Oilers maintain the pace of the Golden Knight and the King
The Oilers need this victory to keep pace with the Pacific Division’s Vegas Golden Knights and the Los Angeles Kings. Both teams won earlier that night, which put pressure on Edmonton to get the job done. They did, and as a result, they kept the second seed in the division, down three points from the Three Knights and ranked first and 2 points ahead of the Kings. However, Los Angeles has two games on hand and one in Vegas. The Oilers played the Golden Knights again in Las Vegas on April 1 and played twice in their final home games in Los Angeles on April 5 and Edmonton’s regular season on April 14. The Pacific Division Champion game should boil down to some of the big games ahead.
The Oilers have a few days off and then played four games against the Dallas Stars in their three-game Rubber Series on Wednesday (March 26).
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