Overtime loss sees Edmonton Oilers fall behind 0-2 to Jets in series
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While the game went to overtime, it didn’t have to get that far
Author of the article:
Jim Matheson • Edmonton Journal 
Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid (97) watches Winnipeg Jets’ goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) make a save during the first period of Game 2 of their NHL North Division playoff series at Rogers Place in Edmonton, on Friday, May 21, 2021. Photo by Ian Kucerak /Postmedia Article content
When the NHL playoffs start, there’s waves of emotion from goal to goal, period to period, game to game, but when the revered captain of his team’s ship says the water’s still calm in the wake of a Game 1 loss, you tend to steer his way.
“No reason to panic,” said Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who didn’t see any stormy seas ahead after the 4-1 Game 1 setback Wednesday night to the Winnipeg Jets, assured in his navigational thinking at his pre-game chat before Game 2 Friday.
McDavid, who didn’t get a point along with Leon Draisaitl in Game 1, only the ninth time that’s happened this season where they’ve been blanked in the same game, wasn’t on the mark, however, about the voyage to a Game 2 win.
It was anything but clear sailing. In fact, it turned out to be choppy as all hell when Paul Stastny scored with a screened 40-footer on Mike Smith 4:06 into overtime – only the third playoff game in the Oiler history that ever made it to overtime tied 0-0. In 1997, Ryan Smyth scored 22 seconds into the second OT period to beat Dallas 1-0 and in 1998, the Stars’ Benoit Hogue did it to them.
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“I feel like in overtime whether you’re trying to score or you’re trying to generate offence, sometimes that’s the easiest way to do it…just get it to the net. The puck had eyes and fortunately it went in,” said Stastny.
It didn’t end on a turnover. Instead, a hopeful shot and a goal.
“The play started in the D zone and the puck was in the corner and (Tucker) Poolman chipped it past their guy so I just started picking up speed knowing we’d have a two-on-two or a three-on-three break-out,” said Stastny. “Once (Andrew) Copp made a middle-lane drive, he kicked the puck out to me. I was going to go back to him actually but once he slashed across, I figured I’d try to use the D as a screen.”
The shot appeared to deflect off Adam Larsson and if there had been the usual full-house of fans, the building would have gone quiet. But it was that way from start to finish with nobody in the rink because of COVID regulations, so we can’t legitimately say that. Instead, there was a collective hanging of heads from the Oilers.
There’s no woe is us, though.
“We can sit here and dwell and say the sky is falling,” said Oiler defenceman Darnell Nurse, who played 30 minutes of the first 60. “We can sit back and feel bad for ourselves because it seems like we’re so far behind…but we have the team that’s capable of showing up and we have to build off this.”
Smith has only given up three goals in the two games but the Oilers only have one on 71 shots on Connor Hellebuyck, who looks like last year’s Vezina trophy winner after he was very ordinary with an .877 save percentage in seven games against the Oilers in regular-season.
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“Give them credit, they’re playing a really tight game and not taking any chances and giving us any odd-man rushes. But we had some looks and have to be able to capitalize on our power play,” said Oiler defenceman Tyson Barrie, after they went 0-for-3. “We’ve got all the confidence in the world to score goals and we have to stick with it.”
Oiler coach Dave Tippett threw all his chips into the table for this one playing McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line, daring the Jets to stop the NHL’s two biggest guns after he had McDavid centering for Dominic Kahun and Jesse Pulujujarvi, and Draisaitl in the middle on line two with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto in Game 1.
They kept them off the scoresheet for the second straight game, with little room to move on either side before Stastny ended it with his shot from just inside the right boards to give the Jets a 2-0 lead with Game 3 set for Sunday in Winnipeg.
The Oilers actually needed some heroic goaltending from Smith in the opening period when he faced 17 shots or they would have been drowning before finding their sea legs.
It wasn’t as Jets coach Paul Maurice figured: “A way faster game, more north-south, more straight lines, more speed … the Oilers transition game will be better I think.”
No, it wasn’t. There was only one goal and it was anything but highlight reel. While Tippett said before the game he didn’t care how the goals were graded for artistic impression — “I’m not greedy … I’ll take pretty ones or ugly ones,” — the winner by the Jets was of the sudden, what-just-happened variety.
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While the game went to overtime, it didn’t have to get that far. The Oilers were gifted a five-on-three power play for 21 seconds early in the third, when Logan Stanley boarded Ethan Bear with Stastny already in the penalty box, but Hellebuyck stopped Draisaitl with a pad on one of Draisaitl’s patented one-timers from the face-off circle and McDavid also had a ripper that Hellebuyck got his glove on.
It didn’t lose the Oilers the game, but it didn’t help.
“It was only 20 seconds, it wasn’t like it was the full two minutes,” said Barrie, when asked if that was the knife to the heart.
“Huge kill,” said Stastny.
“Critical part to not let them on it because they caused us problems all year,” said Maurice, whose club, nevertheless, dodged the bullet.
In the first period, the Oilers could have been in a deep, dark hole, down two or three goals but for Smith’s wonderful play, while his teammates fumbled their way through the opening frame, beating the puck into submission, he robbed Kyle Connor all alone off a face-off twice and stopped Copp short-handed on a very lame Oilers power play.
This ‘n’ that: Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who suffered a shoulder injury a month ago, got rid of the gold jersey and was back to a regular one at the Jets optional morning skate Friday but didn’t dress.
E-mail: jmatheson@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @jimmathesonnhl
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