GDB 36.0: Will the Oilers be able to overcome their disappointing midday loss to the struggling Ducks? (2 PM SNW, MT)
A back-to-back weekend with 2 PM matinees is not typically available, but the Edmonton Oilers will play the second part of that set as they attempt to win their first game of the season against the Anaheim Ducks.
Is there anyone else who still hates the Anaheim Ducks because of the period in their history when they were completely terrible for the Oilers whenever they played them? I’m referring to the Getzlaf-Kesler run during the Eakins years, when a rebuilding Edmonton team that was a bit more optimistic than talented couldn’t win games in Anaheim. We believed that Darcy Hordichuk and Ben Eager’s signings would push things past the tipping point during those seasons. Oh, to be young.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the last man standing at the time, would undoubtedly have flashbacks to the constant beatings he endured during the battle. My pals, it was ugly. When you combine that with Talbot’s 2017 playoffs Kesler pad hold, you have the makings of a bitterness that will last for decades. Until the day I die, I will continue to despise the Ducks. I’m not saying that’s the healthiest way to live, but it works for me, and I have no plans to change anytime soon.
I can’t stop thinking about returning the favor now that the Oilers are aiming for the Stanley Cup and the Ducks are rebuilding. I know that there will be a sizable portion of the Anaheim fan base in that barn today who were Ducks supporters during all of those blowout games from years past, even if I don’t think they will be as focused on harboring long-term grievances as we are. I want today to be an awful day for those folks. To be honest, they enjoyed playing the Oilers much too much for years, and now it’s time for them to take a small hit.
The lads must get their legs moving straight out of Jump Street in order to guarantee that the home team suffers enough to appease the spirits of the Oilers’ past. Even though the Ducks played yesterday, Edmonton can still give themselves a significant edge in this hockey game if they can get ahead early. The Ducks suffer greatly while down in games, and their -23 goal differential is among the worst in the league. This game might end before it even gets a chance to begin if the Oilers can score one in the opening minutes.
Of course, a few weeks earlier, when the San Jose Sharks were only eighteen seconds away from pulling off the upset, I said the exact same thing. If everything goes according to plan, even the NHL’s poorest teams can win on any given night. I hope the boys learned their lesson about letting inferior opponents hang around. Edmonton managed to pull off a comeback against San Jose, but that won’t work every time; it’s much better to make this impossible.
However, as we discovered once more on Saturday, winning NHL games is never simple. The Oilers can’t let chances like that slip away in divisional games after blowing two distinct leads in yesterday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Kings at Crypto.com Arena. On Sunday, they have the chance to recover in Anaheim, and I’m interested to see if Edmonton can learn from yesterday’s errors and win to keep up with the leaders in the Pacific Division.
