Darnell Nurse scores two, Matt Savoie’s first NHL goal, and another spectacular Oilers collapse

When the Oilers and Rangers met up on October 14th, Edmonton grinded out a 2-0 win on the back of a Stuart Skinner shutout. It was one of those games where the boys needed their goalie to steal one, and that’s exactly what happened. So, with New York in town for the rematch on Thursday night at Rogers Place, I was expecting their best effort to avenge that loss and avoid the series sweep. And while the Rangers did not play their best, they still managed to win after a spectacular third-period collapse by the Oilers ruined what looked like an easy win. Nice job, fellas.

DARNELL NURSE’S RESPONSE

There’s been a lot of talk around here over the last couple of days about Darnell Nurse getting benched for a few shifts against Utah after a pair of early giveaways led to two goals against. For the first time in a while, a guy with an “A” on his jersey was asked to take a seat. Even though we’re only talking about a slap on the wrist, the result was that Nurse played only 16:49 in TOI, by far his lowest total of the season. It was a dose of accountability that was well deserved, given what the team needs from him in the 20-plus minutes he usually plays. I’d also like to think that Nurse’s benching was a broader message to the rest of the lineup that poor play has consequences, no matter who you are.

Regardless of your feelings about Nurse — and there’s nothing you can do about his contract — the reality is that the Oilers need him to be better than he has been by a sizeable margin. The good news is we’ve seen plenty of instances of him being better, and I think he did a much better job of keeping things simple against the Rangers. Not only did he score a pair of goals to first tie the game and then extend the lead, but he was also making stronger plays when the puck was at the other end and using his legs to carry it when lanes opened up. He wasn’t trying to force passes through and was much more effective as a result. Nurse is at his best when he plays simple hockey, and he mostly did that against the Rangers. The real trick will be seeing if he can keep it going.

MATT SAVOIE’S FIRST NHL GOAL

It was only a matter of time before Matt Savoie got something up on the board. Savoie has been buzzing around and producing chances all season, and it was almost unlucky that he hadn’t scored before finally sliding one past Shesterkin at 8:48 of the second period. And while having the puck bounce around in a scramble and bank in off his skate probably wasn’t the way he imagined his first NHL goal, it almost seemed fitting that it came on a greasy play. That goal only happened because Savoie busted his ass toward the net and drove into the pile. There was nothing pretty about his first of what will be many goals, but I absolutely appreciate the hard work it took to make it happen.

Now that the monkey is off his back, I won’t be surprised at all if we see Savoie’s goal-scoring pace pick up from here. While he’d probably never admit it, you know the kid was putting a pile of pressure on himself to score, and maybe having that weight off his shoulders will lead to more goals. Maybe it’s because I boldly predicted that he’d be our first Calder Trophy winner — I’ll admit that one was a little too Kool-Aidy — but I’m still bullish on what he’ll be able to do for this team. He has the skill, the brains, and the speed to make an impact in the NHL, and it’s going to be up to him to take advantage of his increasing opportunities. Savoie’s ice time has been slowly climbing as the season has moved along, and I’m betting that he’ll make the coaching staff look smarter the more leash he gets.

THE TURNOVER FACTORY IS OPEN 24/7

The NHL recap for Thursday’s game had the giveaways listed at 15 apiece, and I’d guess most of the Oilers’ 15 must have come in the third period. Before closing time, Edmonton was doing an excellent job of keeping the Rangers’ attack at bay, and it wasn’t until the minutes got more important that they completely imploded on themselves. They were dishing up turnover after turnover, like the point of hockey is to give your opponent as many opportunities as they need to claw back into the game. Just as bad as the turnovers was their inability to get a clutch save when they needed it most. Even though Skinner stopped 30 of 34, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who cheers for the team that doesn’t think he should have stopped one or more of them.

It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out what happens when you have bad turnovers combined with an inability to cover up those mistakes, and the third period was the perfect example. And whether you’re blaming Bouchard for the giveaways or Skinner for being unable to bail him out, the reality we can all agree on is that they’re doing it to themselves. This team is too good, too experienced, and with ambitions that are too big to keep pulling this crap and expecting to get away with it. It’s one thing to look this sloppy in the pre-season and the first few games, but it’s another to let it keep happening in game 12 of the regular season. You’re only as good as what you earn in the NHL, and right now the Oilers look like they’re expecting it to be easy.

THE SAUCE W/ RYDER AND LISA

Wake up with Ryder and Lisa on The Sauce! Your new chaotic morning show streaming live from 8-10 AM MST every weekday on Oilersnation YouTube starting Monday, November 3rd. It’s unpredictable, unfiltered, and totally them. Like, follow, and subscribe to never miss an episode!