Give me a seven game series of that kind of hockey right now please.
At the end of the day the Oilers weren't able to walk away with two points but it is hard to be too frustrated after watching a game like that. Both Edmonton and the Flames came out to play from the moment the puck dropped and treated fans at Rogers Place to an intense game, with plenty of scoring chances and other highlight worthy events.
As we all expected, it was Ryan Nugent Hopkins and Sean Monahan who dropped the gloves first. This was The Nuge's third career fight and Monahan's first. The crowd and the players went wild about it. Nothing like seeing two star players go at it.
Kassian told Tkachuk right before they fought “Thanks kid, I appreciate you doing this.… Showed a healthy amount of respect for him in his media avail. Said Tkachuk wanted to go right away but Kassian wanted him to think about it for a bit first. Game within the game he said
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) January 30, 2020
With the air cleared there, both teams could move on and continue to play a high tempo game.
A few more thoughts from the game.
- Jujhar Khaira is done with this team. Khaira came back into the lineup and was put into a game that should have been right in his wheelhouse but never got involved physically or offensively in any impactful way.
- Josh Archibald and Sheahan continue to be a solid bottom 6 duo of late for the Oilers, with Archibald in particular throwing his weight around. The 5'10 175lb winger is not a big man but he never once shyed away from physical contact, including one great play where he stood up Sean Monahan.
- Welcome back Matt Benning! After missing most of the season due to concussion related injuries, Benning slotted back in a big way with the tying goal in the third period. There was some rust to his game but Benning brings some slick skating and a shoot first mentality that was absent without him. Would love to see him and Caleb Jones get in some games together.
- It was a physical tough affair from both teams and calls were missed on both sides, nothing however was as egregious as this targetted shot but Giordano right in front of a ref.
- Leon Draisaitl did some wonderful things with the puck and took over a few times throughout the game but he holds the puck waaaaaaay too long on the PP sometimes. Reminds me of Hemsky back in the day.
- Who else was sad to see that game end in a shootout? The 3 on 3 overtime went without any whistles with both teams looking gassed by the end of it. To have all of that intensity end in a shootout seemed anticlimactic.
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At the end of the day, the Oilers have let 5 of a possible 6 points slip away from the Calgary Flames. Points against this team are more crucial than anyone else in the standings right now and Edmonton needs to head into their rematch on Saturday with the intention of taking those two points in regulation.
I cruised through the comments section last night and got some good laughs at jabs from both sides. The Battle of Alberta is infinitely more fun with both teams being relevant once more. Here is hoping to another decade of games like the one we watched last night.