And That’s A Win!
The Oilers’ young guns gave the Vancouver Canucks all they could handle but under the Hockey night in Canada spotlight the visitors persevered on their way to a 4-3 victory Saturday.
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Vancouver won the final affair of the team’s four-game road trip thanks to a strong start capped by Sami Salo’s first period opener, the team’s first lead to start a game this season.
Salo stole the spotlight from former teammate Darcy Hordichuk who had been hyping the Hockey Night in Canada contest versus the Canucks last night, comparing himself to the Oilers’ in-house Hells Angel before the game.
“Hopefully, I can send a message back. All it takes is one big hit and they won’t be looking for that match-up anymore.”
All it took was five seconds and one shift from Hordichuk to send his message- his better days with the Canucks are long gone.
Canucks squeak by Oilers 4-3
Hordichuk charged Keith Ballard just seconds into his opening shift of the game and bounced off the Canucks’ blueliner, landing roughly on the ice and ending his night in just one hit.
With the Hells Angels Head Hunter out of the game Ryan Nugent-Hopkins decided to take matters into his own hands against Vancouver. The newest of the Oilers’ young guns popped off a pair of first period goals and was given credit for a third, which could have been assigned to a trio of Edmonton forwards.
The Nugent-Hopkins hat trick may have left the Rexall faithful in a rambunctious mood, but a late game surge from The Sedins and Alex Burrows once again lifted the Canucks to a sloppy road win. Later, Sami Salo finished what he started in the first, blasting his second slap shot past Devan ‘The Doob’ Dubnyk to permanently regain the lead midway through the third period.
Rough Stuff
The first meeting of the season between the Canucks and Oilers may have lacked the Hordichuk highlights fans were promised, but a double header fight card featuring Aaron Volpatti versus Andy Sutton and Dale Weise versus Theo Peckham kept the energy levels high during Saturday night’s contest.
Volpatti deserves a ton of respect for giving six inches and thirty pounds to Sutton, call both fights a draw.
You’ve got to take a punch to give one and Aaron Volpatti is more than comfortable with both.
When: 10:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 15, 2011
Where: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta
Referees: Dean Morton, Brad Watson
Linesmen: Lonnie Cameron, Derek Nansen
Attendance: 16839
About Kevin Vanstone
