EDMONTON — It’s not just a three-game series that could put the Edmonton Oilers into first place in the North Division.
It’s a three-game series that could put the Edmonton Oilers into first place in the North Division — against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
No, wait.
Against the TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS!
As Hockey Night in Canada rolls in and the eyes of Leafs Nation gaze temporarily toward the Western colonies, the Oilers themselves must be all a-tither, right?
“I don’t get that feeling, no,” said defenceman Tyson Barrie, who wore the blue Maple Leaf a season ago.
“No, not really. Honestly,” assistant coach Glen Gulutzan said. “It’s great that the fans see it as a (first place) series against Toronto. As coaches, we saw this last series against Vancouver as a chance to get some separation, and we see this next series against Toronto as a series for first place. I don’t think it would matter who was in that spot, we’re only four points behind.”
“First place is the goal — it doesn’t really affect us who it’s against,” added Barrie. “There might be more buzz in the room if we're against, say, Calgary? Where you have the pre-existing rivalry.
“We’re not unaware that Toronto is the centre of the hockey world, and there will be a lot of focus (on these games). In our room, I don’t think it’s too big of a deal.”
In this three-game series, the Leafs get an Edmonton team that is, clearly, mega-focused on its own game — a game which has left them as the NHL’s hottest team. The Oilers have won 11 of 13; they’ve won eight of nine; they’ve won five in a row.
If you haven’t been watching closely, you may still look at the Edmonton Oilers as a two-superstar outfit where the boat rises and falls with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the NHL’s two leading scorers. In reality, they are a much, much better team than that.
In their past nine games they’ve allowed three or more goals only twice, and one or fewer five times. The team's save percentage has climbed to .909 after a 3-6 start, and its special teams are smokin’ hot.
Against Vancouver, the Oilers nursed a 1-0 second intermission lead to the finish line, something an Oilers team has not been able to do for years.
“I don’t think you can win long-term without that (ability), and it shows a lot of growth,” Barrie said. “We certainly didn’t have that at the beginning of the year. We’ve been able to show a lot of character in some of these wins, and show that we can play with the lead. Play a shut-down style of hockey if we have to, which is certainly important come playoff time.”
Of course, if there were fans in the building, forgetting about the stature of their opponent would be much more difficult. Barrie knows, after a season of travelling the NHL circuit and finding Leaf Nation at every stop.
“One of the really cool things about being a Maple Leaf was how much support they had on the road,” he said. “There always seemed to be Maple Leafs fans (at opposing rinks), and when you’d go out for dinner there always seemed to be fans. It’s an incredibly large fan base.”
Some of whom reside in the national media — oops, our outside voice — a trait that always seeps into an Edmonton-Toronto matchup. But this isn’t about the fans or media. It’s about two of the North’s top three teams — don’t sleep on the Winnipeg Jets — duking it out three times in five days.
It’s about Auston Matthews versus McDavid. Mitch Marner against Draisaitl. Morgan Rielly and Darnell Nurse …
It’s about looking at these two arsenals and expecting 5-4 hockey. Then, as it unfolded in Toronto the first time they met, getting a 2-1 game with an empty netter at the end.
If these two teams are truly contenders, we are afraid the 5-4 games will grow fewer and further between.
“We can’t kill seven power plays a night against Toronto,” said Gulutzan, “because then they get those top players on the ice so much. And they think the same thing. So now the penalties become something that’s in the back of every player’s mind.
“Nobody wants to be embarrassed. You’ve got these young guys who are elite players in our league now, and they’re going to play hard against other. So they’re going to play tight. In these three games, maybe one will get away. But you can see it in these guys. They’re dug in to play against each other. It’s a little bit (like) playoff hockey, and that’s why you get the low scoring.”
Barrie knows what the plan is. But he also knows everyone has a plan — and then the game starts.
“We’re certainly not looking to give up five,” he said. “But if they do happen to get a few, we know that we can score enough to win. Which is a nice feeling.”
There are a lot of nice feelings in Edmonton these days. No matter who is coming to town.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNwb3J0c25ldC5jYS9uaGwvYXJ0aWNsZS9vaWxlcnMtbm90LW1ha2luZy1iaWctZGVhbC1tYXRjaHVwLWZpcnN0LXBsYWNlLW1hcGxlLWxlYWZzL9IBX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNwb3J0c25ldC5jYS9uaGwvb2lsZXJzLW5vdC1tYWtpbmctYmlnLWRlYWwtbWF0Y2h1cC1maXJzdC1wbGFjZS1tYXBsZS1sZWFmcy9zbi1hbXAv?oc=5
2021-02-26 23:41:00Z
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