On a night when the Edmonton Oilers organization inducted Randy Gregg and Craig MacTavish into the Oilers Hall of Fame, They shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 and looked dominant doing so.
While it’s still early, this was the most complete game they’ve played all season, and they were in total control from the moment the puck hit the ice. They outshot the Penguins 50-27 while winning 57.4 percent of the faceoffs. They were effective off the cycle and the rush. Connor McDavid was held off the scoresheet, but the Oilers still handedly won this game. You can’t always expect your best players to produce every night, so it’s important that other players step up and contribute, which is exactly what happened. The Penguins did not have an answer for the Oilers’ offensive attack.
This score could have been a lot higher if it wasn’t for Joel Blomqvist in the Penguins’ net. He was outstanding and stopped 46 out of 50 shots, which resulted in an excellent .920 save percentage (SV%). It’s too bad his teammates failed to help him out. With that said, here are three takeaways from this dominating Oilers performance.
Viktor Arvidsson’s Best Game as an Oiler
Viktor Arvidsson had himself a night. He finished the game with three assists and four shots on goal in 17:33 of ice time. He was noticeable and around the net all night. He could have scored a few goals in the first period if it wasn’t for the great goaltending by the Penguins netminder. He’s a tenacious forechecker who works hard to win puck battles and is a great fit in this forward group. The offense hasn’t been there for him early in the season, but hopefully, this game is a sign of things to come. He’s on the verge of breaking through as long as he continues to work hard.
He was on a line with Vasily Podkolzin and Leon Draisaitl. It was arguably the team’s most effective line. They were outworking the Penguins’ blue line in the offensive zone and cycled the puck effectively. Podkolzin also got his first point as an Oiler, and Draisaitl opened the scoring with a quick wrist shot off the rush. Hopefully, this line can stay together because they are starting to build some chemistry.
Arvidsson went into the corner boards awkwardly near the end of the third period and was slow to get up. He was helped off the ice by head athletic therapist, T.D. Forss. He only suited up for…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…