The killer instinct was absent because fans came, they saw, and got nothing at all. The highly anticipated match-up between teen titans Connor McDavid and Austin Matthews fell short of the goal-scoring fireworks some hoped would happen. McDavid is Player of the Month for November and Matthews is still talk of the town with his record-setting performance .
A lot of hype indeed, as NHL hall of fame members Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr attended the game to witness the match-up.
Cam Talbot is solid in goal
Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
McDavid’s 12 points tie him for the top spot in the league, while Matthews’ six goals put him second in the race for the Maurice Richard trophy.
Of course, this was not a game between two players, but between two teams on different paths. The Oilers are a different team looking like leaders of the pack sitting on top of the Western Conference. While the rebuilding Leafs are an exciting team to watch. Coming into the game the Oilers had seven wins. The Leafs have seven losses.
So, what happened?
Nazim Kadri is a big reason for what happened. He shackled McDavid from scoring and got the overtime game winner. He got his second goal even McDavid was draped all over him. A sharp reminder that not long ago, he was a first round pick.
There was no killer instinct going after rebounds.
Frederick Anderson was spectacular making 44 saves for his third win. Furthermore, point a finger at the Oilers’ offense for failing to score on Anderson’s juicy rebounds. Also the shot quality was weak because they lacked a killer instinct.
Maybe the lesson here is tread with caution when the goaltender’s last name is Anderson.
Not.
A bright spot is the play of Cam Talbot as he is getting better and more consistent every game. He turned away 29 of 31 shots in the overtime loss. His rocky start is a distant memory as his goals-against-average drops to 2.10. He is not a league leader in GAA, but it’s better than the 4.33 he registered over the first three games of the season.
The Oilers defense appears stable as rookie Matthew Benning did an admirable job as Darnell Nurses’ defensive partner. He took Eric Gryba’s place on the right side and ended the night as a plus one with 13.51 in ice time.
The Oilers’ offense is top heavy as McDavid, Milan Lucic, and Jordan Eberle accounted for a third of the team’s goals. Eberle, started the season quietly with a five-game point streak has been scoreless for, you guessed it, five games. Eberle is a streaky scorer and will break out pretty soon.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has to help Oilers develop killer instinct
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is goalless with five assists over the first 10 games of the season. He plays a strong solid 200-foot game but needs to score in tight games. He is capable of 20 goal seasons.
The Oilers need some goal production out of him if he is going to be a second line center.
The other second line center, Leon Draisaitl, it up with six points in the first five games. Now, he is mired in a mini-slump with no points in the last five games.
From this armchair, the Oilers have three three scoring lines capable of playing end to end hockey. Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins need to step up and help the Oilers are to show the doubters they are a playoff team.
It’s not all bad as the Oilers’ offense is eighth in the NHL. Okay, it’s a little bad because the sputtering power play ranks in the bottom third of the league in 21st spot.
The Oilers stable defense face a big test Thursday by taking on the high-powered New York Rangers on their home turf.
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