Last night after my 3 mile run, I decided it was time to dedicate the night to some NHL hockey. I had the Red Wings/Blackhawks tilt on my television and the Oilers/Flames going on my computer.
Things started off looking bleak, with Devin Dubnyk giving up an early goal to get down 1-0 to the Flames. Taylor Hall minutes later fed Ales Hemsky on a breakaway that opened up Oilers scoring and they did not look back from there.
It was a banner night from Hall--and I noticed before the game that he was not great in his brief history playing against his hometown team. He had never logged a point and was -6 for his career against Calgary. Things would change on this night. Here's a synopsis of Hall's night from the Edmonton Journal's Cult of Hockey:
Finally played his first game of the season in his home town, and it was a doozer. Set the tone with an early breakaway which, while repelled by Kiprusoff, stated that Oilers had brought their skating legs and were open for business. Led all forwards in ice time just a couple of ticks below twenty minutes, during which time he was personally involved in 10 scoring chances between even strength and powerplay. Made a superb pass to Hemsky on a fast-developing 2-on-1 for the game winner. All 9 of the shots he attempted were on target, and the last of these (barely) beat Flames backup Henrik Karlsson for a well-earned goal that was the cherry on top of a great night’s work.
Things started off looking bleak, with Devin Dubnyk giving up an early goal to get down 1-0 to the Flames. Taylor Hall minutes later fed Ales Hemsky on a breakaway that opened up Oilers scoring and they did not look back from there.
It was a banner night from Hall--and I noticed before the game that he was not great in his brief history playing against his hometown team. He had never logged a point and was -6 for his career against Calgary. Things would change on this night. Here's a synopsis of Hall's night from the Edmonton Journal's Cult of Hockey:
Finally played his first game of the season in his home town, and it was a doozer. Set the tone with an early breakaway which, while repelled by Kiprusoff, stated that Oilers had brought their skating legs and were open for business. Led all forwards in ice time just a couple of ticks below twenty minutes, during which time he was personally involved in 10 scoring chances between even strength and powerplay. Made a superb pass to Hemsky on a fast-developing 2-on-1 for the game winner. All 9 of the shots he attempted were on target, and the last of these (barely) beat Flames backup Henrik Karlsson for a well-earned goal that was the cherry on top of a great night’s work.
I'm fighting to get into my fantasy hockey playoffs and there's a week after this one to lock up the 6th and final spot. Last night was a huge night for me, netting tasty results from Jordan Eberle (1 goal, 2 assists, +3) and Dubnyk's win aside from all the saves he tabulated. Of course there was also Hall's nice game.
This was the Oiler's first win in Calgary since 2008--since before I was even really following the sport and the Oilers. It was the first win since the opener of last season, dating back to October of 2010. This was an important win for the franchise and the fan base. And it's on nights like these where you want to hold on to the Smyth's, the Sam Gagner's, and the Hemsky's. It's tough to imagine breaking this team up when they play like this.
Here's Taylor Hall's 21st goal of the season, the first he's ever scored against the Calgary Flames:
No comments:
Post a Comment