At the season’s quarter pole, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves atop the Pacific Division with 23 points, tied with the St. Louis Blues for second in the Western Conference.
In their 20th game of the season, they met up with a Chicago Blackhawks team that was 8-1-1 in its past 10 games.
Edmonton won 5-0, a convincing dismantling of a clear Stanley Cup contender. For one night at least, Connor McDavid was better than Jonathan Toews and Cam Talbot bested Corey Crawford.
“We played a great team game,” said Talbot, who stopped 31 shots. “That’s a huge statement win for us tonight.”
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You can slice the numbers up any way you like. But with American Thanksgiving just three days away — and arguably their toughest stretch of their schedule behind them — the Oilers are hanging in there with all the teams that will be around when the playoffs begin in April.
This was a one-game homestand sandwiched between five road games — essentially a six-game road trip with a chance to do some laundry midway through. It’s a game that is easily lost, and one that bad Oilers teams of yore usually did.
“This is a really solid home game,” said defenceman Oscar Klefbom, who had a goal and two points. “This is the level we want to play against these teams that are always in the playoffs.
“That’s key for us to win those games against those good teams, to have that confidence.”
Confidence.
It is the one-word solution to almost every problem this game can leave on your doorstep.
Can’t score? Pot a couple, and with some confidence your entire game improves.
Can’t win? Build a proper roster, pepper in a superstar like McDavid, a goalie with a .920 save percentage, and lo and behold: You might find the confidence to survive a five-game losing skid, or beat a red-hot Blackhawks club.
“We’ve been able to snap out of a bit of a funk and we’re looking to go on a run now. Once you get out of one of those, it is important you take off from there,” said McDavid, who laid claim once again to the National Hockey League scoring lead with a two-assist night.
“They’ve been hot and gotten points in their last 10 or something ridiculous. They’ve been playing really well and for us to get a win like that is definitely big for the confidence moving forward.”
For an elite team like Chicago, of course, this one won’t leave a mark. They’ve been beaten by Oilers teams over the years, sometimes quite badly. But when the important games are being played come springtime the Blackhawks are always front and centre, and the few Oilers you can find are packing their gear for the world championships.
“That wasn’t our team,” said Crawford, who was far from his usual pedigree on this night. “I don’t take anything away from this one. We created a few good chances, but it was one of those games were nothing was going right.
“Everything they touched was going in and it just felt like one of those games.”
So, there you have it.
When Chicago walks in and beats your club 5-0, you assess, reassess, and come away with quotes about measuring sticks and how far your team has to go. Put the shoe on the other foot and, well, the Oilers haven’t earned that respect yet.
It’s still viewed as a one-off, as it should be.
We’re at the season’s quarter pole. Let’s talk again after 40 games, and then after 60.
The Oilers beat Chicago 5-0. On the 21st of November.
Let’s talk again when the stakes are higher, and when the night’s win is followed up by a rematch two nights later. It’s called a playoff series, when wins really mean something.
Oh, how folks here in Edmonton would love to put that to the test.