As the game between the Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks was starting, I was thinking in my head, “Now which Mike Smith are we going to see tonight?” After watching just over a minute, I thought I had my answer… or did I? Let’s recap!
Shaky Start
It took just over one minute for the Vancouver Canucks to get to Edmonton Oilers Goaltender Mike Smith. What do players always say, “get pucks to the net!” Bo Horvat beat Smith with a wrist shot from the left side, near the goal line it seemed. The puck somehow squeezed under Smith’s pad or between his pad and the post. Either way, I immediately said to my family, “Here we go again!” Wait, that’s not true, the first thing I actually said was “WHAT THE bleep!”
Just over 15 minutes into the game, the Canucks were up 3-0 after a Tyler Myers snipe rocketed over Smith’s shoulder, and Elias Pettersson swiped a backhand past the outstretched glove of Smith. At this point half our house was in shock. My Daughter is a Canucks fan, so she was all smiles. I turned to her and said, “No worries, this is the Canucks!” From that point on, Mike Smith was the same Mike Smith that doused the Flames on Friday Night. Stick saves, glove saves, pad saves, and even noggin saves! It’s like he flipped a switch.
Roll Reversal
With just over a minute left in the first period, the Oilers’ Dominik Kahun put the Oil on the board with a shot that somehow bounced off Thatcher Demko, then up off the post, down off Demko’s pad, and into the net. and at that point Mike Smith was probably thinking, “Hey, that goal wasn’t against me!” Ok, he was probably thinking more along the lines of, “bleep YEAH!”
Kahun would put the Oilers within one less than a minute into the third period, ripping a one-timer past Demko. Connor McDavid would tie the game just over three minutes later. McDavid hit the crossbar shortly after and also had a crossbar back in the second period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also hit a crossbar in the second period. So for those keeping score, it was now Oilers 3, Canucks 3, Crossbar 3.
Finishing Move
People always say, “Go to the net!” Tyler Ennis did just that and was in the right place at the right time when an Adam Larsson shot bounced off his skate and past Demko,m and the Oilers were on route to completing the comeback. Connor McDavid almost added an empty net goal, but time expired before he could get the shot away.
So after giving up three goals on the first eight shots he faced, Mike Smith turns it around and stops the next 25 to pick up his fifth win of the season in only six starts. I’d say he has definitely earned the job of Starter moving forward. Leon Draisaitl quietly picked up three assists and the Oilers are now just four points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs for top spot in the North Division. Tune in for Edmonton Oilers vs Vancouver Canucks again Thursday night!
