The game got off to a slow start at Rogers place, with just five shots produced between the two teams in the opening ten minutes following puck drop.
However, the offense quickly got rolling at full force near the end of the first period, with the Blades generating the game’s first threatening scoring chance. A beautiful back door pass from Kyle Crnkovic was sent to a streaking Tristen Robins, who was met by the wall that Oil Kings fans refer to as Sebastian Cossa to keep the game scoreless.
The Oil Kings quickly responded to the pressure put on by the Blades and were able to capitalize. David Kope relentlessly fended off pressure behind the net of Nolan Maier before feeding a wide-open Jake Neighbors for a tap-in goal to put the Oil Kings up 1-0.
The powerplay then got going for Edmonton, with Ethan McIndoe ripping a shot off the post, then put another chance from a prime scoring area just wide of the net. The powerplay looked good though, and they got an opportunity to finish what they started just moments later.
It was Josh Williams who put away the garbage of the rebound from a heavy Vladimir Alistrov shot. The powerplay goal put the Oil Kings up 2-0 heading into the second frame.
The second period would be all Blades, as overage defencemen Nolan Kneen got things started for his club walking in from the blueline before releasing a shot that just barely squeezed through the glove side of Cossa to cut the Oil Kings lead in half.
The Oil Kings struggled mightily to get clean breakouts out of their zone and drive any momentum as the game wore on. As a result, the Blades continued to put on the pressure and generate chances. Tying the game up at 2-2 while on the powerplay on a hammering one-timer from Montreal Canadiens prospect Scott Walford that found the back of the net.
A too-many-men penalty by the Blades appeared to be just what the Oil Kings needed to get back on track to winning the game. However, it would prove to offer quite the opposite, with Washington Capitals prospect Eric Florchuk streaking into a short-handed breakaway that he was able to bury to give Saskatoon their first lead of the night.
Luck would eventually turn for the Oil Kings before the final buzzer. Williams was able to fend off a Blades defencemen to fight his way in front of the net, and he snuck a puck through the five-hole of Maier to bring the game back to even. Scoring his second goal of the night. The winger has been red-hot for the Oil Kings as of late, being one of their most consistent producers offensively on every given night.
“I’ve been trying to focus on my offensive game a little bit more this year,” said Williams who now has brought his point total up to 19 points on the season in just 15 games, “Whether it’s passing or scoring I’ve been trying to do everything to the best of my ability.”
Soon after, Captain Scott Atkinson caused mayhem in front of the Blades net, allowing him to get a tip on Logan Dowhaniuk’s blast from the blueline that took a weird bounce over Maier before crossing the goal line.
“We talk about it all the time, get pucks to the net with traffic and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer on the work by Atkinson to create a flurry in front of the Blades net, “When you create scrambles you give yourself an opportunity to score and we capitalized on that.”
From there, the momentum shifted in Edmonton’s favor, not giving the Blades much of a chance of coming back into a game that they held control of for most of the night, despite not being able to gain any traction towards building a significant lead.
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins for the Oil Kings, and with the number of momentum shifts, it was anyone’s game. With the Blades looking like the better team for most of the night. However, Edmonton ground out a crucial two points to maintain on top of the WHL standings with an unmatched record of 11-1-3.
They’ll be back in action this Sunday as they head south to take on the Calgary Hitmen.
Oil Spill…
The three stars tonight were 1) Josh Williams 2) Scott Atkinson 3) Nolan Kneen. Saskatoon’s powerplay went 1-for-5, while the Oil Kings went 1-for1 on the man advantage. Shots were tight all through the night, finishing with a tally of 30-27 in favour of the Blades. Oil Kings are now riding a six-game win streak that has led them to the top of the WHL standings.
