Edmonton Oilers Make Statement in Win Over Blues

The Edmonton Oilers came into 2016-17 looking for a true culture change and proved that in their win over the Blues.

Edmonton outplayed St. Louis and ended up taking home a 3-1 win. The team is now 4-1 to start the 2016-17 season and appears to be a much stronger group.

Play-By-Play Rewind

The Oilers went into the second period leading the Blues in shots, but unfortunately, St. Louis struck first. Of course, it was Nail Yakupov who opened the scoring at Rogers Place, but for the wrong team. Yeah, it’s still weird to us, too.

Just look how odd this is…

Oct 20, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; St. Louis Blues forward Nail Yakupov (64) celebrates a second period goal against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

However, St. Louis wouldn’t hold on to the lead for long. Tyler Pitlick made a strong push to the net and deflected in a point shot from Andrej Sekera. Though St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock challenged the goal, it was good after review. Jake Allen had pushed out from the net and ran into Pitlick himself.

The Oilers continued to make a strong offensive push in the third period. Eventually, Connor McDavid broke through the Blues’ strong defense and got the puck to Milan Lucic to take the lead. McDavid would later score the game-winner on an empty-net tally.

Takeaways and Things to Know

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– Cam Talbot (new father) looked phenomenal between the pipes. St. Louis outshot the Oilers 35-23 and dominated in the offensive zone, creating plenty of opportunities. They also had three power-plays. Despite a flurry of scoring chances, Talbot was excellent when it came to rebound control and coming up big at critical times. He finished with 34 saves and a .971 save percentage, as well as first-star honours.

– The Oilers’ defensive corps were incredible in the win. Oscar Klefbom led the team with six shots, with Russell putting up five and Sekera putting up four. All Oilers defensemen combined for 30 blocks, as well as five hits and three takeaways. This blueline proved well when it came to stopping the Blues’ dangerous offense and stacking up to one of the top NHL teams.

– Jordan Eberle scored one assist on Thursday and has put up a point in each NHL game this season. He is a huge part of the offensive push and is proving to come up big in little ways. McDavid also put up two points, and each game he has scored in has been a multi-point performance.

Schedule Ahead

The Oilers will head outdoors Sunday to face off against the Winnipeg Jets in the 2016 Heritage Classic, and then, they return to Rogers Place for a rendezvous with the Washington Capitals Tuesday.