Inch by inch, 3-2 win by 2-1 defeat, the Oilers are increasingly looking like a team that can work just as effectively in a game like Saturday – where the score was 0-0 at 45 – Minute point – as they do when the shackles are detached in a 5-4 track meeting. Edmonton lost Saturday, 2-1 on penalties to the Colorado Avalanche. But they lost in a skills contest after shooting 50 shots at Colorado goalkeeper Darcy Kumber, including an 11-0 overtime clock. They did not lose because they lost their patience in a tight game and played a low risk game that ended up in their nets. Most likely, Jesse Puljujarvi’s failure to bury two perfect foods by Connor McDavid was the culprit, critical mistakes in a game like this. They lost because Kuemper was eerie in the Avs aspect. Not because their own goalkeeper was rudimentary, or because he left that stinking goal we’ve seen in those places, but we didn’t see it too late. Tonight, and more and more late, Edmonton killed that 2:24 penalty to play in a 1-1 game, instead of losing this scary one we’ve seen so many times lose. And the Oilers dominated the extra time, a rare break for Mikko Koskinen, who was just as good as Kuemper, allowing only one Nathan MacKinnon on the roof in the penalty shoot-out, the only goal of the season. “We scrape and nail to get in. That’s all we do,” McDavid said. “It’s a dogfight to win a place in the playoffs this year and we’re just trying to find a way to get in.” McDavid’s defensive work is just the tip of the iceberg here. Now, Edmonton’s best player provides all the right examples of how to play in a game like this, and nothing less. And his teammates follow, because that’s what happens when the leader digs. This was a high pedigree game by McDavid in which he did not score a point. Not so long ago, this game did not exist. “It was great tonight,” said coach Jay Woodcroft. “Many of the defensive games he played at our edge were top notch. “He was a threat every time he was on the ice.” “Yes, it was a playoff game,” said McDavid, who had five shots on target at 24:13, and should have found an assist along the way. “(There weren’t) many opportunities by any means, and I liked that we got stuck with it and got stuck there against a good team and found a way to get a point.” When we say we have to win 2-1 games against good teams, when it comes time for the playoffs, we talk about it. It has to do with gaining points in low event games or games where the other goalkeeper steals the show. Of course, they missed an exchange of shots. This is a currency reversal at this level. And they have no shots in the post-season. They often play until the team deserves a break to get one. Play this way and this break will probably find you when it counts. “I saw everyone put it on the line,” Woodcroft said. “I did not have to look for players. We had all four lines going. We are committed to playing a certain style of hockey that I think is conducive to the hockey that is going to be played in May. We prepare in this kind of atmosphere or environment. “I thought the goal was great, our penalty was great, our sacrifice for our teammates was great. In the end, I really enjoyed watching our players compete extremely hard for each other. ” Warren Vogel scored this fourth-line goal that often occurs in a game like this, deflecting a shot by Darnell Nurse. Most nights the first two lines are good for at least one, but tonight Kuemper was almost unbeatable, with 49 saves. “It just seemed to me to be the fastest team and more competitive along the wall,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar of Edmonton. “They thought with more bolts, they came first and won more races than us.” It was a difficult night for a streak, as McDavid saw his 15-point streak stop at the end of Puljujarvi’s wand. The great Finn twice robbed Kuemper in sloppy shots that gave the goalkeeper the opportunity to make a rebound that should not have been given to him. He also recalled Edmonton’s nine-game winning streak and his six-game winning streak. If they had won the penalties, it would be the first time since 2001 that Edmonton had won seven consecutive games. However, the Oilers have been 12-2-2 in their last 14 games and are four points ahead of Los Angeles with the same number of games. Second place in the Pacific is theirs, with nine games to play. Two months ago, this seemed like a dream.
