Electric Crowd Propels Oilers To Big Victory Over Blues

Edmonton Oiler fans made themselves heard on Saturday night.

Many Oiler fans had circled December 7th on their calendars heading into the season: the night of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway's return to Rogers Place as members of the St. Louis Blues.

Some wondered how the fans would welcome the two players after signing their twin offer sheets over the summer, and the answer was a resounding "booooooo." The jeers rained down on the two former Oilers every time they touched the puck, often in an eventual 4-2 Oilers win.

The Oilers, meanwhile, seemed to feed off the crowd's energy, riding it to a 3-0 lead after two periods. The puck often seems to find players in Broberg and Holloway's situations, and it sure did on Saturday night. Oiler fans feasted on a bit of schadenfreude early in the second period, when a Philip Broberg turnover landed right on Connor McDavid's stick, then promptly in the back of the Blues' net.

To add insult to injury, the crowd soon erupted into a drawn-out chant of "Bro-berg", rubbing it in the face of the former Oiler defenceman. There may have even been some "Jor-dan"s in there as well, for Blues goalie Jordan Binnington, but such is the risk with chants. They don't all translate.

Edmonton fans soon had another reason to raise their voices, when an apparent Connor Brown goal was disallowed thanks to a quick whistle from referee Kendrick Nicholson. The no-goal stood after review, and it didn't take long for the crowd to pull out the tried and true "ref you suck" chant.

Despite the rowdy crowd, the Blues found a way to battle back in the third period. The first strike came from, who else, Dylan Holloway, taking advantage of a horrendous Oilers shift and a gorgeous pass from Robert Thomas to cut the lead to 3-1. The fan response was predictable: another loud chorus of boos.

The Blues weren't done yet. Already on the penalty kill, Oiler Troy Stecher took an unnecessary cross-checking penalty on Scott Perunovich, sending the Blues to a 5-on-3. While the Oilers escaped the first penalty, the Blues eventually found the back of the net thanks to a Jake Neighbours deflection to make it a 3-2 game and put the Oilers on the ropes.

It was Troy Stecher who saved them. Fresh off his ill-timed penalty, he flung a puck on net that somehow squeaked past Binnington to ice the game, 4-2, where it would stay for the duration.

"I got out of the box and thought my night might be over," Stecher said after the game. "But (Paul) Coffey put me back out there and I slung the puck at the net."

On top of getting the last laugh, Oiler fans also got the last word: a resounding "Skinner's better" chant directed at Binnington, nodding to their goalie's excellent night and his apparent snub from Team Canada's 4 Nations roster.

Player of the Game: Stuart Skinner

On that note, let's give Skinner his flowers. He was the Oilers' best player on Saturday night, keeping the Blues at bay through 40 minutes despite plenty of golden chances. He's been at the top of his game for the past few weeks, with a 4-2 record and .921 save percentage in his last six games.

He even did his part on offence, standing his ground like a basketball centre and drawing a goalie interference call that led to the eventual game-winning goal. Just like the fans said, Skinner was better on Saturday night.

Play of the Game

We made it almost 600 words while barely even mentioning Connor McDavid, who quite literally skated circles around the Blues for the first 40 minutes and came away with a goal and this pretty powerplay assist, taking advantage of Faksa's hit on Skinner.

That's also three goals in two games for Zach Hyman since returning from injury, for those of you counting at home.

Saturday's win was about as satisfying as they get for many Oiler fans. Broberg and Holloway's departures stung, and they stung even more as they lit it up in St. Louis while the Oilers floundered early in the season. Holloway's goal notwithstanding, the fans had their fun -- and their revenge -- on Saturday night, while the Oilers came away with a crucial two points and their fifth win in their last six games.

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