Got to love a black skate jersey night! Editor’s Note: Or do you?

So, the Canucks were understandably underdogs heading into this game. Edmonton, even without Leon Draisaitl, are always a threat to score a ton of goals, and the Canucks had lost 11 of their last 12 games on home ice. The Canucks were also winless in nine straight. It made sense that they were heavy underdogs tonight.

Which is why it was neat to see the first period end in a scoreless tie, with some promising signs from some young Canucks along the way. See, rebuilds can be fun! Editor’s Note: This is a good time to remind everyone that I write as the game goes along.

The Canucks’ top line of Liam Ohgren, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser turned in a strong effort to begin this game. All three did little things well, but Pettersson and Ohgren, in particular, really stood out. Ohgren had a few hard backchecks and made some strong and smart plays in all three zones. Pettersson, who we’ve noted has looked a lot more like his old self as of late, looked like he had some extra pep in his step to start this game. That line was hard-matched against the Connor McDavid line, and through 20 minutes, they performed admirably.

The Oilers had a slight edge in chances after the first period, but it was only slight. That’s a win in my books. I say you should probably stop reading here.

Some takeaways from the first:
-Liam Ohgren is reminding me more and more of Vasily Podkolzin, and I mean that in a good way. His motor is high, he’s got some puck skills, and he seems to have a good hockey IQ. Hope he gets to stick with Pettersson for more than just a game.
-Nikita Tolopilo made some nice saves in that opening frame. It’s nice to have that kind of goaltending depth.
-Speaking of Podkolzin, I am so happy for him to have been able to find a home in Edmonton and forge an NHL career for himself. One of the nicest people I’ve ever covered.

Alright, so those good vibes from the first only got the Canucks so far. Less than five minutes into the second, the Oilers opened the scoring. After a miscue from Arshdeep Bains in the neutral zone, the Oilers broke in with numbers, and Jack Roslovic slid a backhand attempt in between Nikita Tolopilo’s legs. The Canucks challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but were unsuccessful in doing so, giving the Oilers the game’s first power play.

On the ensuing power play, Nikita Tolopilo had to be sharp. He was absolutely the main reason the Oilers’ power play didn’t convert on any of their attempts.

Right after that power play expired, Conor Garland was called for high-sticking. And this time, the Oilers found the back of the net. Zach Hyman shovelled a backhand attempt off of Filip Hronek that found its way past Tolopilo.

Alright, so if you didn’t take my advice to stop reading after the first period, I REALLY suggest you stop now. Proceed at your own risk.

The Willander-Mancini pairing had a few suspect moments when they were on the ice together, and after Mancini pinched and Willander didn’t realize it, Kasperi Kapanen found himself on a breakaway and pushed the Oilers lead to three. Also, Elias Pettersson didn’t cover for Mancini well enough, either.

Then, three minutes later, Jack Roslovic scored his second of the game, as Zeev Buium was a touch late reacting to the Oilers transitioning the other way.

Then, less than 30 seconds after that, Kapanen snapped home his second of the game. Another defensive miscue for Buium.

Honestly, I really felt for Buium in this game. The frustration was very evident. He knew he made a mistake on the second Kapanen goal, and he’s had a rough go of late. To me, this feels like one of those stretches you just need to play your way out of. You just hope that games like this don’t shake his confidence too much, and that he’s able to be better for it in the long run.

Oh, and before the end of the second period, Vasily Podkolzin scored his 11th goal of the season to make it 6-0 in a hurry.

If you want videos of the goals, check out The Stanchies later tonight. Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties getting our clips posted this evening. See? The second period was hard on all of us.

Some takeaways from the second:
-What are the rules around just not showing up for the third period? “They can’t fire all of us, right guys?”
-So much for the strong period for the Pettersson line in the first. Absolutely crushed in the second, and Pettersson had some awful defensive reads.
-I don’t think Adam Foote’s D-zone system is a good fit for this team. Can’t be sure, though, as I never played in the NHL.

The Canucks lost this game.

What’s your instant reaction to this game? Let us know in the comments section below!