It was hockey’s equivalent of the Washington Generals sneaking up on the Harlem Globetrotters.
The Edmonton Oilers were the hottest team in hockey, going 19-4-1 in their last 24 games to move into a tie with Vegas for first place in the Pacific Division. They boast two of the NHL’s top four scorers and are winning games as much with their character as with their skill.
The Vancouver Canucks, on the other hand, are an underachieving mess. They’re outside of a playoff spot with three wins in their previous 14 starts against a backdrop of infighting and drama in the dressing room. And they’re shackled to a millstone of a contract — $11.6 million a year over eight years for 29 points worth of Elias Pettersson — that can sink a franchise for a long time.
But, sure enough, the Generals were living the dream in the first period Saturday night at Rogers Arena. They caught the road-weary Oilers flat-footed and jumped out to a commanding lead on three goals in 3:22 late in the first period.
They almost booted it — Leon Draisaitl scored twice in the second period to make it a one-goal game heading into the third — but the Canucks hung on for the 3-2 win.
It was the fifth time in the last six games that the Oilers trailed 2-0 or worse (3-0 three times). They went 3-1 in the previous four, overcoming a 2-0 hole in Chicago, a 2-0 deficit in Minnesota and from 3-0 down in Colorado, but there would be now epic comeback this time around.
You can only spot the other team a big lead so many times before it catches up with you, and this was that time.
The game ended with Connor McDavid receiving a match penalty for crosschecking Conor Garland on the side of the head after the Canuck held him down on the ice for a good 10 seconds with the Oilers pressing for the equalizer.
At the same time, Tyler Myers also received a match penalty for crosschecking Evan Bouchard in the mouth.
Both players are now facing suspensions.
Edmonton concludes its grind of eight games in eight different cities in 15 days with a 6-2 record. They are now at home for six games in 12 days.
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