Make it seven straight wins for the Edmonton Oilers, as they defeated the Ottawa Senators by a 3-1 final on Saturday night. This team is now just one win shy of the eight-game winning streak they put together in late November and early December. They have also won 15 of their past 18 games.
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While the score suggests this was a close game, that was far from the case. The Oilers dominated puck possession all night long, and walked away with a 46-31 advantage on the shot clock. Here are the three main takeaways from another great performance by the Oilers.
Goaltending Exceptional On Both Sides
Entering this game, it felt as though the Oilers could score in bunches on the Senators, as goaltender Anton Forsberg entered with a 3.36 goals against average (GAA) and a .886 save percentage (SV%) in 14 appearances. Despite his season-long struggles, however, he was fantastic all night and deserved a better result.
Not to be outdone, Stuart Skinner, despite having less action, was fantastic in his own right. He wasn’t forced to make as many ten-bell saves as Forsberg, but stopped everything he had to nonetheless. He came very close to recording his third shutout of the season, as Parker Kelly was able to find the back of the net with less than five minutes remaining. With yet another solid performance, his GAA has dropped to 2.76 while his SV% has improved to .899.
Hyman Continues to Rack Up Goals
Zach Hyman recently suggested he wasn’t a natural scorer, a claim that is looking like more of a lie each and every game. The versatile Oilers winger scored all three in this outing and is now up to 25 on the season. Barring an injury, it is hard to imagine that he won’t surpass his career-high 36 set just a season ago.
With the hat trick, Hyman now sits tied with Artemi Panarin for fourth amongst all NHLers in goals. He is also just five back of Auston Matthews for the lead, and while winning the Rocket Richard Trophy may seem to be a stretch, he is showing zero signs of slowing down from this rampant pace.
Knoblauch Having Fantastic Success
While there is still an argument to be made that the Oilers gave up on Jay Woodcroft too soon, it is impossible not to notice the success Kris Knoblauch has had since taking over. With tonight’s win, his NHL record has improved to 17-6-0, giving him a ridiculous winning percentage of .74.
Given his relatively mediocre success through four AHL seasons, many wondered if Knoblauch was the correct man for the job. It is quickly being proven, however, that Ken Holland and the rest of the Oilers’ managerial staff saw something that few others did, and they deserve plenty of credit for that.
Looking Ahead for the Oilers
The Oilers will once again have a bit of a break, as their next game won’t come until Tuesday night versus the Chicago Blackhawks. Fans who were excited to see Connor Bedard and McDavid go at it for the second time will be disappointed, as the rookie sensation is expected to miss a significant amount of time after suffering a broken jaw on Friday night. With the 18-year-old out of the lineup, the Oilers will be in an excellent position to extend their winning streak to eight.
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