Oilers Skate for the Cure! Oilers 4, Blackhawks 6
Led by Connor McDavid - the Pandemic Powerhouse himself - the Edmonton Oilers hit home ice on a steamy, August Saturday afternoon looking to fix what’s ailed them for the past dozen years, by clinching a spot in the 2019-2020 playoffs, and competing for the Stanley Cup. Their opposition: the twelfth-in-the-West Chicago Blackhawks.
The Oilers enjoyed a story-book start when McDavid (1g, 2a, 3pts, -2) nabbed his first of the play-in round, off of a picture-perfect pass from the NHL’s regular season leading scorer, Leon “Draidroxychloroquine” Draisaitl (1g, 2, a 3pts, +1). An Oilers’ victory was not to be however, as the Blackhawks’ Dominik Kubalik (2g, 3a, 5pts, +1) stole the win with a five-point outing, in just 13:56 of ice time. After the match, Oilers’ head coach Dave Tippett weighed in on whether being stationed inside the NHL’s covid-19 quarantine “bubble” diminished the home-ice advantage for the Oilers. Said Tippett of the unusual circumstances,
“I’d say it does for sure. If you’ve ever stayed in a hotel in your own city, you know something is off. It’s like the feeling you get when you go to Prom with your sister; sure it’s a good time, but somehow it’s not what you expected. It’s something I expect our fans in Edmonton would understand.”
Addressing the elephant in the room, Tippett fielded a few questions about his starting goaltender for game 2, after Oilers’ goaltender Mike Smith (18-23, 0.783sv%, TOI 26:32) surrendered five goals on 23 shots and was pulled in the second period.
“We’ll make our decision closer to game 2,” said Tippett. “Whoever starts, it’s a team game. Team defence is something we have, and are continuing to work on, even in isolation. I am happy to say that the staff at the JW Marriot have been excellent in this regard, providing all of the extra cushions and pillows we need to dress up Smitty like a real goaltender so he can practice defending the couch-fort that the team built together in his room. Now if we could just get (Oilers’ forward) Gaetan Haas out of there.”
No one from the Oilers organization gave an official statement clarifying what the nickname “Draidroxychloroquine” was intended to convey. Several anonymous sources close to the team suggested that the name arose in recognition of the fact that Leon Draisaitl’s scoring touch essentially “vaccinates” the Oilers against defeat. When news of the nickname reached them, several sources close to the Blackhawks quickly pointed out that, like its namesake, “Draidroxychlorquine” simply doesn’t work.
The Oilers play the Blackhawks in game 2 of the play-in round on Monday, August 3 at 10:30p.m. Eastern Time.