November 19, 2022 by Kirk Morris

McDavid.

That’s it. That’s the opening line to this article.

There’s not too many times nowadays where you are moved by what the best hockey player in the NHL can do on the ice. Saturday night was one of those nights, once again, as he potted a game winning overtime goal, by Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill. The Edmonton Oilers captain sailed by with very little effort past the opposing teams’ defence in a blink of an eye. Nothing short of stunning, and probably left everyone in the building and fans at home, lifting their jaws off the floor in awe.

As the home team battled hard this evening, the ‘next’ one had a funky game until the third period, according to McDavid himself in his post game media availabiltiy. Equipment issues, and even getting roughed up and high sticked didn’t deter the league leader in goals to perform up to standard in the end. Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft stated in his post game presser that “most players in the league can see blood in the water, but McDavid can “smell” it.”

Give credit where credit is due though, the Vegas Golden Knights at certain points of the game tonight hemmed the Edmonton Oilers in chunks, and were pushing to press ahead on the scoreboard. In the second period, events got wild at Rogers Place when captain Mark Stone scored on a penalty shot awarded after a hook from Oilers defender Ryan Murray on a partial breakaway.

Standouts:

Stuart Skinner. The 24 year old Edmonton Oilers goaltender held the team in it when it counted again and again, remaining calm and resounding under duress, now improves to 4-4-0 on the season with a 2.53 goals against average and a 0.930 save percentage. The only noticeable mistake was a played puck by him in the Oilers end and luckily, Darnell Nurse deflected a sure goal away from the net.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Quiet but productive night with three apples in the game. Some of his best games this year has been simple, but impressive performances like this evenings.

Shout Outs:

Warren Foegele. Continues to produce and forcheck well being on an elevated role with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Brilliant goal hanging out in the blue paint to put the Oilers ahead early in the first period.

Klim Kostin. For a third game in a row, Kostin has been a noticeable physical presence on the third line. Keeps his game simple and to the point, and tonights’ effort was no different.

Call Outs:

The officiating. Once again this season, the “game managers” in this tilt were all over the road, with very questionable calls in the first period, and then putting away their whistles in the third. A big debate continues to roll on (especially within the Heavy Hockey realm of contributors) with one thing especially on officiating end. And that is consistency. Very, very poor in this match. Missed calls on icing-which directly led to a third Vegas goal, and missed stick infractions and other potential calls thrown by the wayside.

Other Noteables:

-Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft noted in the midday presser that Kailer Yamamoto is now skating on the ice and is closer to returning to action. It’s anticipated that he will be on the upcoming east coast road trip next week.

-Evander Kane was a guest on Hockey Night In Canada’s After Hours, and had stated that he does not have any feeling in his thumb from the incident on November 8th versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. The injured Oilers winger is very confident in stating that he will make a full recovery.

Next game: Monday, November 21st vs. New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center 5pm MST. It is noted that the Devils are gunning for their franchise setting 13th win in a row, and don’t be surprised if netminder Stuart Skinner gets the call to tend the twine and get revenge from the loss that was suffered when these two teams met last.