Edmonton Oilers spoil Washington Capitals perfect winning streak 2-1 -NHL Match Update
If it was up to Washington, they would not lose a single game throughout the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, but all good things come to an end and so did their perfect winning streak as the Edmonton Oilers capped the Capitals, 2-1,
Thursday night, October 27, 2011, at the sold-out Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Edmonton was one of the lowest ranking teams last season and Washington was one of the toughest competitors they had to face, but now, it seems like maybe things are changing in the Oilers favour since they have improved in basically all aspects of their
game.
"The three areas where we had difficulty last year won us the game tonight", Oilers coach, Tom Renney, said of his team's goaltending, power play and penalty-killing.
Karl Alzner gave Washington a head start by scoring early in the opening period but it was Taylor Hall that shot his third of the season during one of three power play opportunities in the first 20 minutes to level it.
Jordan Eberle scored the game-winner a little over midway through the second on another power play as Washington gave over five penalties in the period alone, while Edmonton kept a tight hand on themselves to stay off of the benches and on the ice.
Edmonton was widely outshot by Washington, 35-19, respectively, but a determined Nikolai Khabibulin outperformed his counterpart in the Capitals net by blocking 34 for a near shutout.
"It was a good test", Khabibulin said. "We really wanted to see where we're at. So it feels good to beat one of the best teams in the League".
Capitals veteran goalie, Tomas Vokoun, who denied a loss in their past seven matchups, was shown that it truly is a team effort that gets a team to win.
"For whatever reason we took penalties not only in our zone but also in the offensive zone," said Vokoun. "Penalties are tough to kill in this League. We had a chance to get a point but they had a bit more puck luck than us.
Killing three straight penalties really working for the Oilers in the third and final period which will give the young team something to build on when they face another high flying rookie club, namely the Colorado Avalanche, on Friday.
Vancouver is the next destination of the Washington Capitals to face the Canucks on Saturday before they get to return home.
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