As a tired Buffalo Sabres came into Edmonton off a back-to-back, the red-hot Oilers understood they needed to strike early. “It’s very important we do come out like we did the other night against Winnipeg,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch ahead of the optional morning skate. He noted,”… we pounced on that opportunity the other night. We’re in that same situation, and we want to make it easier for us. “
While clawing out a single point in an overtime loss, the Oilers did anything but.
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Waiting until the third period to bring out their A-game, the Oilers took away their own momentum with untimely penalties and some questionable decision-making. Edmonton didn’t play a terrible first 40 minutes, but it wasn’t the same kind of 40 minutes that allowed them to walk through Winnipeg. Disjointed and lacking a shoot-first mentality, Edmonton changed its game in the final frame, falling just short and losing coverage in extra time to gift the Sabres the win.
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“When this team wants to turn it on and play well, most times they can play amongst the best. To be one of the best, you’ve got to be able to consistently to do that,” said Knoblauch following the 4-3 loss. “I can think of probably, up to ten times we had the puck in the slot, and we didn’t take a shot…. anytime you get in the dangerous ice, you should be looking to shoot.” He added, “Very rarely should you be passing it up if you get the puck in the middle of the ice. We did that way too many times, at least half a dozen times.”
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Evan Bouchard had a rough game, too. A costly turnover in front of his goalie and losing his positioning in overtime, this was one of those games that frustrate fans, as it would a coach. Knoblauch said he would talk to Bouchard about it the next day, but didn’t believe it would be productive to tear a strip off him during the action.
As annoyed as Knoblauch seemed to be with the lost coverage and the questionable decision-making, he didn’t think the game was a total disaster.
“Overall, I thought we did a pretty good job. I don’t like the fact that we took six penalties and that took away a lot of our game.”
The Sabres pull out a 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers. Photo by: © Walter Tychnowicz Imagn Images
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This was the same Sabres team that embarrassed the Oilers a few weeks ago. One of Edmonton’s most disheartening performances, this game was supposed to be a chance to earn a bit more respect against a Buffalo team that had been leaking goals in the past three games. Before the game, Knoblauch noted, “They’re a very dangerous team. They’ve got a lot of speed, whether that’s their forwards or their defensemen. If you’re caught sleeping or out of position, they’re going to take advantage of that.” After the game, both Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman shot down the notion that this was a team the Oilers were supposed to cake walk through.
“That’s just not the case in this league anymore,” said Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. “Especially, they lost three in a row. They were in a back-to-back and gave up seven to Calgary. You know they’re going to want to defend hard and play hard in front of their goalie.” Zach Hyman didn’t like the idea this was meant to be an easy win either. “You’d like to play a full 60, especially with the way we’ve been trending.” He said the Oilers didn’t fold when down 3-0, and they clawed a point out of a game they put themselve in a hole in. “Every team in the league now is a good team, you look at the standings and they’re probably closer than they’ve ever been, maybe ever. No team is really out of it… There are no bad teams anymore, that’s jus the way it is.”
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Game Results
The first did not start the way the previous game did. Edmonton created only one shot in the first six minutes. The team started to find their rhythm as the halfway mark of the first approached. Mattias Ekholm got a good look with a slap shot, and Mattias Janmark broke in with Adam Henrique on a two-on-one.
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The Sabres struck first with just under a minute remaining in the first period. David Tomasek took a goaltender interference penalty. Rasmus Dhalin took the shot, and Josh Doan tipped it for a goal. Colten Ellis was pulled for concussion protocol after the Tomasek incident. The head-to-head contact on the play meant Ellis needed to come out.
The Oilers got their first power play at 5:27 of the second period. The Oilers failed to capitalize. The Sabres scored again at 9:47. The Oilers challenged for a missed stoppage in play, meaning the official missed a play that was to be blown down. It appears Tuch punched the puck forward, and Thompson touched it first, which would have been a hand pass. The goal didn’t count.
Evan Bouchard coughed up the puck when he tried to walk it out from behind the net. Thompson took advantage and put it past Skinner. Zach Hyman then took an interference penalty, and it seemed clear the game was slipping away from Edmonton. Josh Doan scored his second of the game on the power play. Went between the legs on a beauty. 3-0 for the Sabres.
McDavid scored in the first 10 seconds, on a play that Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was furious wasn’t called for icing. At the 1:56 mark, Vasily Podkolzin potted a rebound and found the puck in a net-front traffic jam.
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With seven minutes left, Zach Hyman took a hooking penalty, which was certainly untimely considering the Oilers had all the momentum. Adam Henrique took another penalty for tripping, putting the Oilers down two men. The Oilers killed one, and the Sabres took one. 4-on-4 for 48 seconds.
With one second on the clock, McDavid scored to tie the game at 3-3. Alex Tuch scored in overtime to give the Sabres the win.
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