Friday, March 1, 2013

Post Game: Game #20 Blues 4 Oilers 2

1ST PERIOD
EDM Hall 4 (Eberle, J.Schultz) 17:30
EDM Whitney 1 (Smyth, Yakupov) 17:53

2ND PERIOD
STL Schwartz 2 (Oshie, Backes) 3:38
STL Shattenkirk 2 (Sobotka, Stewart) 10:30 PP

3RD PERIOD
STL Sobotka 2 (Cracknell, Porter) 4:28
STL Backes 3 (Oshie, Schwartz) 14:37

Edmonton
Devan Dubnyk 26/30

St. Louis
Jaroslav Halak 15/17

Game Notes:
- Oilers started out like gangbusters in this one. It was 2-0 after one, but slowly got pushed out of this game, Taylor Hall got injured and did not come back. That was all she wrote from there. 17 shots is not anywhere near good enough to win on most nights and it was not good enough this night. It's a carbon copy of a lot of nights the Oilers have had in the past, so really nothing new to see here and its onto the next game for the Oilers. The Oilers compete level was solid through most of the night. Mental fatigue caught up to them as a couple of ugly plays in the third period did them in and the Blues coasted to a 4-2 win. It's a game where some more bigger bodies who can make an offensive play would have helped this club. The Oilers could get the puck into the Blues zone but then could not make a play when they got to the shooting areas because of being pushed around when they got there. So, the Oilers are now a modest 1-1-1 on this nine game road trip with six games left to go. If Taylor Hall is forced to misss significant time, that could be a big time blow to the club. I'm really trying to take a wait and see approach with this club, but I'm still seeing the same things that plagued this team in the past.

Player Of The Game:
Ryan Whitney D - I might be in the minority but I liked the way Whitney played tonight. Jumped in the rush and scored a goal, played a pretty clean game in the defensive zone, moved the puck well, all in 18+ minutes of action. To expect much more than this from Whitney would be absurd. It was a nice bounce back game from Whitney after having a long stint in pressbox but injuries to Potter and Fistric forced him back into the lineup. Solid game from Whitney and he might have bought himself more games with this effort tonight.

Goat Of The Game:
Devan Dubnyk G - Didn't like the way the 3rd goal went in. It smelled of pure fromage and it was goal that was born from mental fatigue. It ultimately was the game winning goal. Dubnyk has played well for the most part this season, every goaltender will let goals in like, every goaltender has bouts of mental fatigue. The key for a goaltender is to shake it off and concentrate on making the next save. Dubnyk will get a chance at redemption on Sunday against Minnesota. The Oilers need him to have a solid bounce game, because they need him to play at a high level.

Next Game - Sunday March 3, 2013 vs. Wild @ Minnesota on Sportsnet West 8 PM MT.

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