Edmonton Oilers vs. Seattle Kraken Post-Game Recap

After valiantly attempting a third period comeback against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night, the Edmonton Oilers took on the Kraken in Seattle. Calvin Pickard started the game in net, and Bakersfield callup Olivier Rodrigue took the backup role. Stuart Skinner didn’t make the trip due to a concussion he sustained after making contact with Mikko Rantanen’s knee the other night. Joey Daccord was on the other end for Seattle. Also not in the lineup for Edmonton was Mattias Ekholm. Kris Knoblauch stated that it was for maintenance.

First Period Summary: Jaden Schwartz had the first shot on goal in the game after Calvin Pickard played the puck and Brett Kulak turned it over. Connor Brown had a Grade A chance to make it 1-0 early, being the recipient of some nifty passes, but Dccord made a great save on the shot. Pickard made a save on Vince Dunn’s point shot. Max Jones had two chances to score for Edmonton, one shot was wide, and the second shot wasn’t enough as Daccord held it for a faceoff. Jeff Skinner and Mattias Janmark had a 2v1 rush, failed to score, but drew a slashing penalty. The power play only lasted 13 seconds, as Evan Bouchard was called for interference. Jared McCann Skinner traded solid scoring chances for their teams, both didn’t score. The Kraken got called for Too Many Men, giving the Oilers their second PP. The man advantage expired, but Edmonton had rushing scoring chance as it expired. Ty Emberson fumbled a puck at the blueline, and it gave Seattle a chance to set up scoring chances in the Oilers zone. The Kraken went on a rush after getting the puck at center ice, Pickard made the save on Brandon Montour. Jake Walman almost fooled Daccord with an intentionally wide point shot, but the puck stayed out. Jamie Oleksiak failed to get the puck out of his team’s zone, and Viktor Arvidsson had a shot on goal. Skinner backhanded the puck past Daccord and into the net, but it was reviewed with a coach’s challenge by Seattle. The play was determined because Brown played the puck with a high stick midair. The first period ends with both teams having 12 shots on goal, still scoreless.

Second Period Summary: 39 seconds in, Mattias Janmark took a penalty for hooking. Jaden Schwartz tipped in a shot by Jared McCann to make the score 1-0 on the power play at 1:18 for the Kraken. 2:06 later, Schwartz makes it 2-0 after a giveaway by Jake Walman in the defensive zone. Matty Beniers made it 3-0, but was stopped twice. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a wide-open net after an initial point shot, but Joey Daccord robbed him. Former Oiler Jordan Eberle took a penalty for holding Ty Emberson’s stick, the Oilers got their third powerplay of the game, which they failed to score on. At 10:50, Jani Nyman deflected a point shot from former Oiler Adam Larsson to make it 3-0. Just 16 seconds after that, Seattle went back in the offensive zone and Matty Beniers received a cross feed pass to bury the puck and it 4-0. The nightmare second period dragged on for Edmonton, as Eberle made it 5-0, or did they? Shane Wright was offside on the play. The score was still ugly, but the Oilers dodged at least one bullet. Andre Burakovsky absorbed a point shot, shot it past Pickard after being left alone in front, and NOW the Kraken are up 5-0 with 7:19 left in the period. Zach Hyman drew a penalty against Brandon Montour, and the Oilers went on the PP. They went 0-4 at this point in the game, then Hyman took a penalty of his own shortly after; the call was for tripping. The period ended with Seattle up 5-0 and outshooting Edmonton 29-23.

Third Period Summary: Olivier Rodrigue started the third period in net for Edmonton while Seattle continued the last minute of their current powerplay that wasn’t scored on. Nearing 5 minutes into the period, Rodrigue got his first real NHL test with two big saves on Jared McCann. At 4:59, Zach Hyman scored Edmonton’s first goal of the game off a rebound. They were now down 5-1 at this point. 40 seconds later, Mikey Eyssimont nearly scored on a dangle, forcing Brett Kulak to take a slashing penalty. The Kraken didn’t score on the power play; their best chance was a shot from McCann that hit the post. McCann was finally able to score a goal at 8:53 when he batted a backhand shot midair. It was a 6-1 game in Seattle at this point, and the first NHL goal against Rodrigue. The new Oilers goalie continues to have a respectable showing in his NHL debut, making the best of an out-of-reach situation. The game ended with the shot totals even at 37, but the scoreboard was a very one-sided 6-1 decision.

Final Verdict: It might’ve been more fun if the Oilers made another comeback attempt, the game may’ve looked different if Jeff Skinner’s first period goal counted. Having Mattias Ekholm on the ice may’ve helped slightly, but he hasn’t been his best lately either. At least the LA Kings also lost their game in regulation, but that’s why 2 or 3 points these last two nights would’ve been nice. Olivier Rodrigue stopped 7 of his first 8 NHL shots, some of those saves were actually pretty good. I wouldn’t oppose giving him the start on Saturday. The goaltending has already been getting weaker. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Back to Edmonton on that night for a good old Battle of Alberta, see you then.