Oilers defeated in epic shootout

Edmonton Oilers vs Boston Bruins 4-5 SO (0-1, 1-1, 3-2, * 3-4SO)

The Oilers travelled out to the East Coast to play the remainder of their pre-season games against NHL opponents. They made several changes to the lineup, including giving Anton Lander a chance on the first line and Mathieau Gingras an attempt on the second unit. Olivier Roy got the start in net.

Edmonton controlled the play in the second period, dominating around the boards and in the face off circles, but could not find a way to beat Chet Pickard in the Bruins net. Instead, young defenseman Alain Goulet's point shot went by a screened Roy to give the Bruins the go-ahead goal late on.

Veteran free agent signing Adam Hall made it 1-1 on an early power play in the second period, following a quality passing play from Axelsson and Peckham. The Oilers rolled four lines and were seemingly comfortable in all facets of the game, though clearly enjoying the time against relatively inferior opponents in that the Bruins played a number of non-NHL players. Still, hard-working forward Brad Marchand gave the Bruins the lead once again - scoring on an extended power play opportunity that was the result of a Smid double minor.

The fireworks started in the third, when Hall potted his second of the night on the man advantage, courtesy of a massive Pickard rebound. Old-timer Aaron Downey equalised minutes after, setting up a fierce sequence of goals that saw Pääjärvi, Hall (recording his hat trick) and McNaughton all score within two minutes. That, naturally, propelled the match into overtime with the score at 4-4.

The players looked somewhat drained in the overtime period, having spent much resources on pursuing a late game winner. As taxed as they were, both teams gave up a few big chances, but were bailed out by clutch goaltending.

In an epic 12 round shootout, where Krysanov, Hartikainen and Cogliano scored, netminder Olivier Roy conceded four and Edmonton lost. The blame for the loss, however, would obviously be shared between a so-and-so goaltending effort and a less-than-stellar effort by the shooters.

Post game: "Well, we got a good look at shootout prospects" general manager Kowalski joked in the post-game press conference. Offensive stars like Plante, Yonkman and Peckham all got their chances to go against Pickard in the Bruins net, all failed. Unfortunately, truly gifted players like Pääjärvi, Brule and Lander also let the team down. Temporary captain for the day, Adam Hall, scored an encouraging hat trick and boosted his team's chances every time he was on the ice. Top prospect Cam Fowler contributed well from the blueline too, adding two assists.


Scoreboard
1st Period:
BOS - Goulet (Hamill)

2nd Period:
EDM - Hall (Axelsson, Peckham) PP
BOS - Marchand (Hamel, Hamill) PP

3rd Period:
EDM - Hall (Fowler, Axelsson) PP
BOS - Downey (Wudrick, Hamill)
EDM - Pääjärvi (Gingras)
EDM - Hall (Watson, Fowler)
BOS - McNaughton (Skog, Bergeron)


Lines:
Cogliano - Lander - Moore
Pääjärvi - Gingras - Brule
Watson - Krysanov - Hall
Axelsson - Catenacci - Hartikainen

Smid - Fowler
Chorney - Yonkman
Peckham - Plante

Roy
(Khabibulin)