Early lead evaporates under pressure from high-octane Oil
The hype machine was spitting out superlatives Tuesday. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were not only first and second in NHL scoring, the dynamic Edmonton Oilers duo was drawing expected praise before facing the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena.
Call it respectful kudos or a collective call to hopefully rise to the occasion. Call it what you want.
“Connor is arguably the best player in the world — at least one of them — and there's another guy over there (Draisaitl) who's pretty good, too,” Canucks coach Travis Green cautioned in his pregame address. “It's a big challenge.”
Quinn Hughes went one better about McDavid, knowing he'd be matched up against the dynamic centre.
“He's one of the best in the league and everyone knows it,” said Hughes. “He's going to get his chances — he's too good a player not to. We just have to eliminate how many he gets. As a five-man unit, you might have to think defensively when you're out there.
“He's most dangerous off the rush and hard for defencemen to gap up on him. But he's good everywhere. It has to be a five-man unit.” And it was.
And then McDavid and Draisaitl went to work when it mattered most as the Oilers rallied from a 3-0 deficit to draw even in the third period. Then a ping-pong point shot by Adam Larsson struck the right skate of Tyler Ennis for a 4-3 win and another giant gut punch to the Canucks.
Here's what we learned as the Canucks fell to 8-13-2:
TICK, TICK, TICK, KA-BOOM
The Canucks have had their resolve to play a complete game tested over and over. On Tuesday, they looked like they had it against a club that had won nine of its last 11 games. Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson not only scored, they were winning respective matchups against lines centred by McDavid and Draisaitl.
The duo was held to one assist and three shots through two periods. McDavid did ring a second-period shot off the crossbar and there was the hope that they might go quietly into the night.
Not so.
First, it was Draisaitl spotting an open Dominik Kahun with a cross-ice feed in the opening minute of the third period to make it 3-2. Then, less than four minutes later on the power play, it was Draisaitl again finding a wide open McDavid at the side of the net for the equalizer.
BO KNOWS, SMITH STRUGGLES
The Canucks' captain is a beast in the faceoff circle and knew he was facing an animal in McDavid.
It helped fuel Horvat's game because he found another competitive gear after losing his first four draws. He had two scoring chances on a second-period power play that had pace and quick puck movement.
Horvat was stopped on a dangle to the net and moments after foiled from the slot. He finished with five shots and seven attempts and also opened scoring against a shaky Mike Smith.
The Oilers goaltender is now 4-0-0 on the road this season and when he returned from injury on Feb. 8, he played a role in Edmonton stoppers combining for a .944 saves percentage.
But on Horvat's goal, he whiffed.
Off the rush, the captain was so wide and deep in the O-zone, that his only option was to throw the puck from a sharp angle. It somehow found the short side and trickled in.
Smith then reacted too early when a Tyler Myers point shot hit the stick of Ennis and deflected up and over the stopper who was already on his knees, throwing up his blocker in vain.
PETTERSSON'S PERSISTENCE
It started by winning an offensive-zone faceoff and stepping around Draisaitl.
It continued with finding a soft spot in the slot, flubbing a pass to Brock Boeser, falling to his knees and still being able to whack the puck home. It was Pettersson's third goal in the last two games, and 10th point (5-5) in the last 11 outings and an encouraging sign of better times. His goal was more about determination.
“His game is coming,” said Green. “When playing well he's moving his feet and shooting when the opportunity is there.”
DEMKO NEEDED SUPPORT
Thatcher Demko was 4-1-1 at home this season and stretching that record would provide further proof that the Canucks should ride him and not be content with rotating goalies.
He allowed Kahun a shortside goal that somehow got between his arm and body late in the first period, but was sharp and stable. He made successive saves off McDavid and Draisaitl early in the second period — a five-hole attempt and sharp-angle laser, respectively — and then foiled Jesse Puljujarvi, who had two whacks at a puck in the slot while on his knees.
However, early in the third period, Kahun struck again after Demko had stoned Ennis in tight. Then McDavid. Then it was over.