 Oilers forward Ales Hemsky tangles with Avalanche player Matt Hunwick during the first period Monday at Rexall Place in Edmonton. (Codeie McLachlan/QMI Agency) |
EDMONTON - If this keeps up, the Edmonton Oilers are going to start listening to Ralph Krueger more often.
Fresh off a morning video session addressing all that went wrong two nights earlier in Calgary, the Oilers followed their coach's instructions to the letter against the Colorado Avalanche and what do you know...
It worked.
They walked through the Avalanche pretty much the same way Calgary walked through the Oilers two days earlier. They simply camped out in Colorado territory most of the night, drawing penalties and scoring goals, en route to a 4-1 victory at Rexall Place.
It could have been worse, but Edmonton seemed to shut it down in the second half, protecting what they had instead of going for more.
But when it mattered most, the Oilers did exactly what Krueger's been telling them since training camp -- get the puck deep, cycle around the Colorado zone and wait for good things to happen.
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