2023-11-07 05:52:00
VANCOUVER – Things are still not getting back on track for the Edmonton Oilers, who suffered a third straight loss Monday night.
Despite their 42 shots directed towards the opposing net, the Oilers were limited to two small goals in a 6-2 loss at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks. With their record of 2-8-1, the Oilers are still 31st in the general rankings, only ahead of the San Jose Sharks (0-10-1).
As if that wasn’t enough, head coach Jay Woodcroft was ejected from the game with just under seven minutes remaining in the third period, in addition to receiving a minor penalty. Previously in the third period, Leon Draisaitl also received a 10-minute misconduct penalty.
“I asked a question regarding a play involving Dylan Holloway. It wasn’t insults, it was a question that was poorly received. In the end I have to be better, I can’t get a penalty. “I didn’t cross the line, but sometimes the way you send a message isn’t received the way you expected,” Woodcroft commented.
The Oilers’ troubles in net continued, as the team allowed at least four goals for the seventh time this season in 11 games. Despite his 29 saves, Stuart Skinner was not able to lead Edmonton to victory.
“You’ve heard me say this a million times: Our goalies wear the same jerseys as the rest of the team,” Woodcroft said. Are there times when our goalies can be better? Yes. There are also times when the team can be better and the players can also be better individually. Goalkeepers are often at the end of a string of errors. An attacker’s mistake can be saved. »
Connor McDavid, for his part, was shut out of the scoresheet for a second time in his last three games. McDavid had collected at least one point in each of his last 17 games once morest the Canucks.
In the Vancouver camp, things continue to go well. The team has won seven of its last eight outings and the Canucks are in the midst of a four-game winning streak.
Quinn Hughes, Pius Suter, Brock Boeser twice, Nils Hoglander and JT Miller all scored in defeat.
Hughes finished the game with a goal and three assists. He now has 20 points this season, which places him second in NHL scoring alongside Jack Hughes and Nikita Kucherov. Elias Pettersson took the lead in scoring with an assist on the Canucks’ sixth goal.
“It was a team effort, we played some really good hockey. We started slowly, but then we took control of the match,” Hughes explained following the match.
Even though they dominated 20-8 in shots on goal in the first period, the Oilers trailed 3-1 following 20 minutes of play.
“For the last two or three games, we’ve had good starts, but we always feel like we’re going back to the locker room late. It’s frustrating. We have to work harder to be rewarded. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a bad start to my career. It’s definitely a challenge, but we have the team to change the situation,” said Mattias Ekholm.
The match started well for the Oilers, who opened the scoring following a few minutes of play in the first period. Ekholm took advantage of a clever pass from Sam Gagner to unleash a powerful slap shot and score his first goal of the season.
However, everything fell apart for Edmonton, who allowed three straight goals to Vancouver before the end of the opening period. Hughes first scored his fifth goal of the campaign when his attempted pass towards the slot was accidentally redirected into the back of the net by Vincent Desharnais.
Pius Suter then fooled Stuart Skinner with a wrist shot that escaped the goalie, before seeing Brock Boeser double the lead a few moments later by jumping on a return in the slot on the power play.
The Oilers then took advantage of a Thatcher Demko turnover midway through the second period to narrow the gap. After a poor play by Demko to get the puck to his teammate behind his net, Oilers forward Warren Foegele quickly recovered the puck and handed it in front of the net to Draisaitl, who completed into a gaping cage.
But Vancouver made sure to regain a two-goal lead before the end of the second period. Hoglander took advantage of a very generous return from Skinner to score his third goal of the campaign and make the score 4-2.
Edmonton thought they had cut the lead to 4-3 a minute into the third period, when Foegele pushed the puck into the back of the net during a scrum. The video replay, however, showed that Foegele had deliberately pushed the puck with his skate and the decision was overturned.
Miller and Boeser completed the scoring with power play goals later in the third period.
In front of the Canucks net, Demko turned away 40 of the 42 pucks aimed his way.
The Oilers play their next game on Thursday once morest the Sharks, in a duel between the two worst teams in the NHL. The Canucks will try to extend their success by facing the Ottawa Senators.
1699349853
#NHL #Oilers #drowning #continues #Jay #Woodcroft