There was a curious occurrence early in Saturday’s game (Jan. 4) between the Edmonton Oilers and Seattle Kraken. Less than a minute into the contest, Climate Pledge Arena’s lights went out for a moment. The power was back before most people probably realized what had happened. Funnily enough, only one of the two clubs got the metaphor. The Oilers played with high energy, whereas the Kraken found the “on” switch far too late, as Edmonton prevailed 4-2.
Three straight dubs ✔️ @SentinelStorage | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/qgAN3Z8LIq
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 5, 2025
Oilers Pounce Early in Merciless Display
The Bible states “And then there was light.” In the NHL, it’s “and then the Oilers struck.” Such was their thorough domination on this night despite the final score flattering the Kraken somewhat.
Edmonton wasted no time either, instantly hitting its stride from the moment the lights when back on. Vasily Podkolzin netted his fourth of the campaign at 0:57 by ripping a one-timer off a Leon Draisaitl pass. It was the culmination of a play by which the Oilers easily gave the Kraken’s defence the slip.
Not content to rest on their laurels, the visitors weaved their way through Seattle’s defence once more at 5:18 when Jeff Skinner found himself behind all Kraken players, received Kasperi Kapanen’s pass, and out-waited Philipp Grubauer before roofing a shot. This was high-energy Oilers hockey.
The scoreline in the first could have been even more one-sided were it not for a brilliant Philipp Grubauer stop on a Connor McDavid breakaway.
Edmonton Preserves Lead in Middle Frame
The scoreline continued to read 2-0 until just past the match’s midway point. As the Oilers applied pressure in the Kraken’s zone, Brett Kulak sent the disc from the point toward Seattle’s net, where both Connor Brown and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were parked. Brown one-touched the rubber gently to Nugent-Hopkins, which caught Seattle’s goalie off guard. Not ready to make the save, Nugent-Hopkins easily slotted the puck home for a 3-0 advantage.
Chandler Stephenson gave the hosts some reason for optimism when he intercepted a pass late in the second period, raced out and calmly wristed a shot past Calvin Pickard at 15:56.
That said, by the time the siren rang to conclude the second stanza, the shots were 24-10 in Edmonton’s favour.
No Kraken Comeback
The Kraken were thoroughly dominated for stretches during the game. Only their German keeper’s heroics kept the scoreline within sensible reach. Grubauer performed an out-stretched save on a two-on-one early in the third period, a rare instance of the door being shut on Draisaitl.
Jaden Schwartz made it a 3-2 game at 7:27 on a goal that Edmonton’s netminder will want back. Vince Dunn sent a shot from the point with no traffic in front, and Pickard’s butterfly save offered the juiciest of rebounds for an unguarded Schwartz to pounce on.
As they pressed for the equalizer, the Kraken’s attempts often went high, wide, or were blocked by Oilers players. Edmonton would ultimately make their rivals pay for lack of finishing when Draisaitl iced the match with an empty netter at 18:02 making the final a 4-2 win for the Oilers.
Edmonton has won three in a row and gets to enjoy Sunday after a successful back-to-back (they downed the Anaheim Ducks on Friday). They also keep pace with the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, who are ahead by only six points. The Oilers continue their travels on Tuesday (Jan. 7) in Boston to face the Bruins. Seattle has lost twice in a row, both at home. They’ll try to turn things around on Monday (Jan. 6) when the New Jersey Devils are in town.