The Edmonton Oilers moved into a tie for third place in the Pacific Division with a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Place on Saturday.
What they didn’t want was the game to turn into a regrettable visit by the Ghost of Christmas Future reminding them of what could have been.
As in, if the club had decided to match offer sheets by the Blues in the summer that ended in a pair of promising young prospects being spirited away from their roster.
Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg were even playoff-proven, having helped the Oilers on their near-miraculous run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Both youngsters, who feature prominently in the Blues lineup as the second-highest scoring forward and second-highest scoring defenceman on the team, respectively, were welcomed back to Rogers Place by a chorus of boos whenever they touched the puck.
The Oilers got a little gift in the second period, when a pass by Broberg from behind the Blues net bounced off fellow defenceman Colton Parayko, of St. Albert, and right onto the stick of Connor McDavid, of all people, who promptly put it five hole for a 2-0 lead.
But Holloway wouldn’t be denied in his homecoming, coming up with the first Blues goal, hammering home a one-timer past Skinner’s glove five minutes into the third.
Former Oil Kings captain Jake Neighbours tipped in a goal with seven minutes left to make it interesting.
BAD CALL
It would have been 3-0, had the officials not blown an early whistle at 6:27 of the second period.
Connor Brown picked up the puck off his own shot after it had trickled through the legs of Binnington, and put it home at 6:27 of the second period.
The place erupted for the goal, and then blew up even bigger when it was determined after a quick conference between officials that the whistle had already blown on the initial save.
SKIN IN THE GAME
The Blues took their pound of flesh from Stuart Skinner on Saturday. The Oilers goalie first had his mask knocked off on a casual flyby through the crease by Blues forward Jordan Kyrou late in the first period.
Then at 13:21 of the second frame, Radek Faksa ran clean into him while Skinner played a puck at the side of his net before getting called for what was clearly goaltender interference.
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On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge