Although it wasn’t particularly beautiful, the victory added to the winning streak’s immense magnificence. The Edmonton Oilers’ winning run now stands at 14 games after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1.
Columbus outscored Edmonton 24–13, nine to six on Grade A shots, after outperforming Edmonton little in the first and considerably in the second. However, Kris Knoblauch switched up the lines in the third period, Stuart Skinner performed admirably when it mattered most, the Oil shut down the opposition defensively, and Edmonton forechecked fiercely, scoring two goals early in the third. Dylan Holloway scored the game’s last goal, a true masterwork of forechecking and grit.
P.K. Subban, a pundit, believes the Oilers are a poor defensive unit, despite the fact that they have only allowed 17 goals in their previous 12 games. How exciting that is.
Edmonton had 16 Grade A shots overall, compared to CBJ’s nine. Within the 5-alarm shot subset, Edmonton had eight, while Columbus had six. On average, 25% of grade A bullets are received, compared to 33% for 5-alarmers.
Connor McDavid, age 7. McDavid scored one point in yet another game, and the Oilers prevailed. He scored the first Grade A of the match by racing in for a risky shot and then again later in the frame. He was denied a goal in the second half for an offside that was as minuscule as a nanoparticle, but he made up ground on Erik Gudbranson’s cross-check of Hyman into Elvis Merzlikins in the third. Baby, karma. Contributions to GAS, or grade A shots: Special Teams +1/-0; Even Strength +5/-0.
Nugent-Hopkins Ryan, 6. He saw the puck deflect off his skate on the post after being put on a line with Foegele and Kane, and Kane capitalized on the rebound. GAS: ES +3/-1; ST
Zachary Hyman, age 6. In the third, Hyman picked up steam as the Oil did. Late in the second, he made a poor backcheck that let a Grade A CBJ shot go through. On McDavid’s goal, he was pushed into Merzlikins, which is a testament to Hyman’s net presence. I guess he wanted to demonstrate to Corey Perry that the Oilers already have some smart players. GAS: ST = 0/-0; ES +4/-1.
Leon Draisaitl, age 6. An up-and-down match. He made a couple mistakes in the first period that resulted in Grade A shots against, but he also scored two Grade A goals. In the third, he assisted McDavid in scoring. GAS: ST +2/-0, ES +3/-3.
