Oilers get shutout win over Penguins with their backup in net
The Edmonton Oilers tossed a listless Pittsburgh Penguins team aside with a 4-0 shutout victory this afternoon.Ā
It was a much-needed victory for Edmonton as they are coming off two disappointing losses to the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres. This one saw a much more urgent team get back to playing the game that helped them claw themselves back into the playoff picture.Ā
“It was a big game for us, obviously coming off two losses, but it’s a team we had success against, played well against them last Sunday, and hit the ground running today,” Calvin Pickard said after the game.
Both teams were on the backend of back-to-back games, but the Oilers looked like they had all the energy with captain Connor McDavid opening the scoring just over a minute into the game.Ā
Connor McDavid wastes no time getting the party started in Pittsburgh šŗ pic.twitter.com/WEZRyUeFLK
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 10, 2024
Pickard was excellent, stopping all 40 shots he faced to record his second shutout of the season and his second victory in a week over the Penguins. It was his fifth of his career. He did have to leave the game for a time after a collision late in the second period but managed to come back for the final frame.Ā
“[Pickard has] been so good for a while,” McDavid told reporters after the game. “He came out and just played solid for us today… just a rock back there.”
The Oilers have dominated this matchup over the past three seasons. Todayās victory marks Edmonton’s sixth straight win over the Penguins, with the Oilers outscoring them 33-9 over that span.Ā
While Edmonton is happy to get back into the win column, the team isn’t satisfied.
“We gotta continue here, there are a lot of big hockey games coming up over the stretch and getting ready for the end of the year,” Darnell Nurse said post-game.
Nurse tucked home two third-period goals to put this one out of reach of the Penguins, while Mattias Ekholm picked up his fifth goal of the season in the first period.Ā
Vi-KING puts us up by two āļø pic.twitter.com/XDb8WTNaWm
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 10, 2024
The win breaks a mini-two-game losing streak for the Oilers, who now sit with a 39-21-3 record. They are now 10 points behind the Vancouver Canucks for first in the Pacific Division and six points ahead of the third-place LA Kings.Ā
Edmonton will look to secure their 40th win of the season in front of their home crowd as Alexander Ovechkinās Washington Capitals visit Rogers Place on Wednesday.