It was a long journey for Oilersnation’s German friends to make it to Edmonton arriving late Monday night.
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They missed Oilers practice by the hair of their chin Tuesday morning, but still got to see the Ottawa Senators skate, and meet Tim Stützle. They’re pictured above in Ford Hall. Later in the night, however, they got the best treat they could’ve asked for: massive performances from German superstars Leon Draisaitl and Stützle — both of whom capped off a game with multi-goal performances. The Oilers eventually won 6-3, even with forward Zach Hyman out of the lineup.
Derek Ryan kicked the party off for the Oilers 2:20 into the game firing home his 12th of the year on Edmonton’s first shot of the game. The Senators pushed back and it was Brady Tkachuk who tied the Oilers at one. Then the real fun started.
At the 12:34 mark, Warren Foegele got his boots moving breaking into the offensive zone, and eventually finding Leon Draisaitl. But Stützle wasn’t far behind scoring his first of the night while shorthanded. He broke into the Oilers’ zone with Dylan Gambrell, finishing on a nice feed.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would score his 31st of the year unassisted 5:39 into the second before it was, once again, Draisaitl finding twine. Connor McDavid had skated down to the side of the Senators net trying to pick the top corner, but it was stopped by Mads Soogard. The puck came back to him, and he was able to make a real nice feed to Draisaitl in the slot. He’s a guy you just can’t leave alone there.
Nick Bjugstad would score a beauty backhander in the dying seconds of the second period, but in the third, Stützle found twine again. Nearly identical to Draisaitl’s second of the game, Stützle found a soft spot in the high-slot blasting home a one-timer.
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Most importantly to the Oilers, and their German fans: they won the game. It was exactly the prettiest of games. There were times where the Oilers looked sluggish, but there were other times — like the end of the second — where Edmonton absolutely poured it on. Even still, at 5×5 they controlled 62.16 percent of the shot attempts, 68.1 percent of the expected goal share and a staggering 70.45 percent of the scoring chances. They also outscored Ottawa 4-1 at 5×5.
The Oilers got the job done, and they got the two points in a game they really should’ve gotten the two points in. Stuart Skinner got the start further cementing the fact the team just can’t trust Jack Campbell. It’s a tough situation, to say the least, but what can you do? His game has been beyond awful this season.
It really felt like tonight would’ve been the ideal spot, doubly so considering it’s the last game the Oilers play against an Eastern Conference foe. Every game, even the ones against the Arizona Coyotes, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks — and especially the games against the Seattle Kraken, Vegas Golden Knights and LA Kings.
Let’s see how the Oilers manage the net the rest of the way, because they play the Dallas Stars Thursday and Seattle Kraken on Saturday — both teams the Oilers could face in the playoffs this year.
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