The Edmonton Oilers scored six second-period goals en route to a commanding 6-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night (Jan 17). This was the first time since 2013 that the Oilers have scored six goals in a single period. Edmonton improved its record to 24-17-8, including 2-0-1 against its division rival. Unlike their 1-0 shutout loss to the New York Islanders in their previous game, the Oilers were opportunistic in this one.
Related: 5 Takeaways From Oilers’ 1-0 Loss to Islanders
The Oilers got goals from Jack Roslovic (2), Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen (2), and Vasily Podkolzin. This was a great team win and a textbook road performance. The Canucks have lost 10 straight games, so it was imperative not to give the home crowd anything to cheer about. Mission accomplished. With that said, here are four takeaways from this dominant victory.
Leon Draisaitl Took a Leave of Absence
The Oilers announced early on game day that Leon Draisaitl will be taking a brief leave of absence. He flew back to Germany to attend to a family matter and is expected to rejoin the team next week.
With Draisaitl gone, the lines were jumbled up. Trent Frederic moved up to the top six, Podkolzin was elevated to the top line, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centred the second line, and Andrew Mangiapane drew back into the lineup on the fourth line, after being healthy scratched last game. The third line of Roslovic, Matt Savoie, and Isaac Howard was the only line that remained intact.
“Obviously, we’ll miss him, but the job comes second. He has to go home and be with his family. We’re thinking about him and his entire family, and we have to take care of things while he’s gone,” Connor McDavid stated before the game. They did exactly that as they got contributions throughout the lineup, leading us to the next takeaway.
Oilers’ Depth Stepped Up
Without Draisaitl, other players needed to step up and provide offence, which they did. Kapanen scored twice, Roslovic scored twice, and Podkolzin lit the lamp. These players were making exceptional plays with the puck, and they got rewarded. Podkolzin usually defers to Draisaitl, but he was able to walk in and rip a shot for his 11th goal of the season.
Kapanen scored on a breakaway, which has been a rare occurrence for the depth players. His linemate Nugent-Hopkins also had a phenomenal game with two primary assists. He got moved back to centre and had his best 5-on-5 game in quite some time. Away from McDavid, he was able to drive his line with great success. If the Oilers can acquire another scoring winger before the trade deadline, maybe Nugent-Hopkins can be the permanent third-line centre.
Curtis Lazar also had an assist in this game. After he passed the puck, he drove hard to the net and was driven into the goaltender by the defenceman, which opened up a lane for Roslovic to slide the puck in. There were no passengers in his one, as there were contributions throughout the forward group.
Ty Emberson Was Solid
Solid is the perfect word to describe Ty Emberson. The Oilers’ defenceman doesn’t get enough recognition for his role. He’s quietly having a great season, but this was probably the best overall game in his young career. This was his 150th career game, and he looks much more comfortable. His confidence is clearly growing as he plays more games.
Emberson has gotten an elevated role and is making the most of it. He was moving the puck, joining the rush, being physical, and skating extremely well. He finished the game with one assist, one shot, and four hits, with a plus-1 rating in 18:52 of ice time. The American blueliner led the team in hits and played mistake-free defensive hockey. That’s all you can ask from a defensive defenceman.
Tristan Jarry Was Perfect
Tristan Jarry quietly had an outstanding game, culminating with a 31-save shutout. Fifteen of those saves came in the third period. He didn’t have to make spectacular saves, but he was positionally sound all game. Usually, when the offence explodes, the netminder isn’t talked about nearly enough.
The Oilers took a commanding lead and were able to shut it down defensively. Jarry made the initial saves, and his teammates were able to clear the rebounds out of danger. He made the saves he needed to, and they didn’t let Vancouver generate any momentum. He improved his record to 4-0-1 with his new team. The Oilers are finally getting good goaltending, and hopefully that will continue heading into their eight-game homestand, beginning tonight (Jan. 18) against the St. Louis Blues.
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