Article content
We still don’t know how the Edmonton Oilers are going to fare in the long haul without Connor McDavid, but what we do know for sure is they can beat the Nashville Predators no matter who is in the lineup.
It’s just automatic. The Oilers own Nashville — 12-1-2 in their previous 15 meetings.
It feels like they could beat the Predators using curling brooms for hockey sticks and roller blades for skates.
Advertisement 2
Article content
Still, without an injured McDavid in the lineup, you couldn’t really be sure how things were going to play out Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena.
In the end, with the whole hockey world watching to see how they would fare in the first game without their captain, the Oilers never skipped a beat, ensuring the natural order of things played out the way it always does.
Edmonton 5, Nashville 1.
The Oilers turned in a solid complete-game effort from the crease on out to go 1-0 without McDavid and 5-5-1 on a season that might not be lost, after all.
“They came out strong and Leo’s line (Draisaitl, Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin) were our three best players,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch, who got three goals and a fight from the trio. “They had a lot of pace, a lot of execution and scoring chances. We needed everyone to pick it up a little bit and I thought they did.
“Overall it was a good effort. We checked well, we played pretty defensive hockey and when there were breakdowns Pics (goalie Calvin Pickard) was really good.”
McDavid played just 37 seconds last game before leaving with an ankle injury, so maybe it’s a message that exactly 37 seconds into this game the Oilers scored their first goal without him.
Article content
Advertisement 3
Article content
Viktor Arvidsson did the damage, notching his first goal as an Oiler and marking just the fourth time in 11 games that Edmonton scored first.
YOU’RE KILLING ME
Edmonton’s league-worst penalty kill gave up another one, letting the Predators tie it on an abbreviated power play five minutes after the Arvidsson goal. That makes it 12 power-play goals against (and just four for) in the first 11 games of the season.
FEEL GOOD STORY
The night turned into a fairy tale after that, with American League call up Noah Philp, making his NHL debut, paying immediate dividends. The former Alberta Golden Bear, with his mom, dad and wife in the building, picked up his first NHL point, assisting on Corey Perry’s goal to make it 2-1.
“What can you say,” said Draisaitl. “That’s pretty special. He’s been through a lot and to play in the NHL a couple of months after being off for a full year seems nearly impossible.
“He’s inching closer and closer to making a career out of (the NHL). I’m very impressed with the way he handles himself and the way he plays the game. I think he has a bright future.”
THE USUAL
Advertisement 4
Article content
If beating Nashville is automatic, so is Leon Draisaitl feasting Predators and that was the case again in this one. He picked up an assist in the first period and a goal each in the second and third to give Edmonton a 4-1 lead. He has 25 goals and 41 points in 16 games against Nashville.
LATE HITS: Zach Hyman finally notched his first goal of the season, making it 5-1 on a breakaway after a tape-to-tape pass from Darnell Nurse. “It was just a matter of time,” said Knoblauch. “It’s not like he forgot how to score.”… Podkolzin doesn’t have a goal yet but he scored big on the 10-point must system in his third-period fight with Jeremy Lauzon, dropping the Nashville defenceman with a right hand and sending him to the dressing room for repairs. … Ty Emberson had his first fight in the NHL, taking on Cole Smith in the first period. The Oilers are 5-0 in games when they have a fight and 0-5-1 in games without one. … Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard extended his personal winning streak to three games with the 26-save effort.
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
Article content