Edmonton Oilers
Oilers C Gagner continues red-hot scoring pace, leads Oilers over Red Wings
Sam Gagner continued his remarkable pace with two goals and an
assist, and rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the decisive goal in the
sixth round of the shootout as the Edmonton Oilers completed a perfect
three-game homestand with a 5-4 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings on
Saturday.
All-Star Jordan Eberle also scored twice and Devan Dubnyk made 35
saves for Edmonton, which halted a seven-game losing streak against
Detroit with its fifth win in six home contests.
After collecting his 300th career tally, Todd Bertuzzi scored his
second goal of the game with 3:41 remaining in the third period to give
Detroit its first lead at 4-3. But Edmonton would not be denied as
Eberle banged a loose puck past Joey MacDonald with 39 seconds left for
his second tally.
Gagner was on the ice but did not figure in the scoring, ending his streak of 11 straight team goals with a point.
Gagner scored in the second round of the shootout and Bertuzzi kept
Detroit alive by beating …
Red Wings-Oilers wrap-up: a messy night and controversy on and off ice, here and in Sweden
The Detroit Red Wings spent Sunday morning flying to Phoenix probably feeling like Ales Hemsky did after he was very cleanly Kronwalled (and even the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples says the hit was clean)—probably a little dazed and confused as to how they’d managed to rally from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits to take a 4-3 lead on the Edmonton Oilers…
And yet a three-goal third period wasn’t enough to overcome the team’s defensive miscues or its continued inability to score on the power play (the Wings went 0 for 4 and blew a full two-minute 5 on 3), and in their eighth shootout game, the Wings’ shooters got as cute as they did during the first 40 minutes of play, and as such, they dropped a 5-4 shootout decision to the plucky Oilers.
For Edmonton, which has won four of its past five games, witnessing Sam Ganger keep the good times rolling by registering 3 points in his follow-up to his 8-point game against Chicago and managing to rally from thei…
Oilers Hold On To Earn Third Straight Win
Oilers beat Red Wings 5-4 in a shootout
It was a classic third period collapse that nearly led to the Oilers demise on a Hockey Night in Canada game against the league leading Detroit Red Wings. What started as another “Gagner is God game” soon became further evidence that the Oilers need to find scoring depth. Not even the return of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the line-up seemed to be enough to spur the Oilers onto their third consecutive win. But, a buzzer beater of a third period goal by the other clutch player, Jordan Eberle once again turned the game around.
Continue reading “Oilers Hold On To Earn Third Straight Win”
Red Wings-Oilers quick take: first the shootout giveth, then it taketh away
Updated with highlights, fights, etc.: The Detroit Red Wings’ 5-4 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers was a tale of would’ve’s, should’ve’s and could’ve’s.
What would have happened if the Red Wings hadn’t given up a 2-goal lead? What should have happened had the Wings not allowed the Oilers to take a 3-1 lead on a goal scored with under a second left in the 1st period? What could have happened had the Red Wings scored on their four power plays—including 2 full minutes of 5-on-3 time which involved passing, passing and trying to cutesy a back-door goal into nowhere?
What would have happened had the Red Wings not rallied to take a 4-3 lead in the third, only to surrender a second last-minute goal in the 3rd, and then fell flat as played as flaccidly as they did during the first and the first half of the second periods?
And why did the Wings try to tempt the shootout gods for the sixth time in their last eleven games?
Continue …
Oilers beat NHL-leading Red Wings
Sam Gagner continued to rack up the points and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the shootout winner as the Edmonton Oilers beat the league-leading Detroit Red Wings 5-4 on Saturday night.
Gagner had two goals and an assist one night after his eight-point game in Edmonton’s 8-4 win over Chicago. He also scored in the shootout.
The Oilers blew a 3-1 lead in the third period but sent it to overtime when Jordan Eberle scored with 39 seconds left.
Eberle ended up with a pair of goals for the Oilers, who have won three in a row and are 4-0-1 in their last five games.
Todd Bertuzzi had a pair of goals, and Valtteri Filppula and Drew Miller also scored for the Red Wings, who snapped a two-game winning streak and lost for only the second time in 11 games.
Detroit almost got on the board first before the game was 2 minutes old. Darren Helm had a short-handed breakaway, but Oilers starter Devan Dubnyk was able to come up with a clutch save.
The Oilers made good on the power play a minute later as Gagner knocked the rebound of Ryan Whitney’s shot past Red Wings goalie Ty Conklin.
Gagner got his second point of the night just before the 6-minute mark of the first. He put the puck on net, and it slipped beneath Conklin and went to Eberle, who scored his 21st of the seasons.
Edmonton retained the lead after killing off a two-man disadvantage. Corey Potter was given a double-minor for coming to the aid of teammate Ales Hemsky after he was crushed along the boards by Niklas Kronwall. An addition penalty to Edmonton’s Ladislav Smid left the team down two players for a full 2 minutes.
Gagner had a direct result on two more goals to close out the first period, one by each team.
With 37 seconds to play, Gagner coughed up the puck to Filppula in his own zone on the power play. Filppula fanned on his shot but it hit Whitney’s and trickled into the Oiler net, just out of the reach of a diving Dubnyk, for the short-handed goal.
Gagner redeemed himself with less than a second left in the period on the same power play as he tipped in a Ryan Smyth shot for his second of the game. It was the 11th consecutive Edmonton goal that Gagner got a point on, all within a three-period span going back to the second period of the win over Chicago.
Recent call-up Joey MacDonald started the second period in the Detroit net.
Detroit made it a one-goal game 2 minutes into the third as Henrik Zetterberg fed it to Bertuzzi from behind the net and he whacked at the puck under Dubnyk.
The Red Wings tied the game 3-all only 3 minutes later as Helm got the puck through to Miller in front of the net and had an easy redirect for his 10th of the year.
Detroit took a 4-3 lead with just under 4 minutes to go as Bertuzzi showed some skill, passing it to himself through defenseman Andy Sutton’s legs before beating Dubnyk up high.
With Dubnyk on the bench, the Oilers sent it to extra time as Eberle found the puck in a scramble in front and put it past MacDonald.
Notes: It was the third of four meetings between the two teams this season. Detroit won the first two games by 3-0 and 3-2 scores. The Oilers came into the game with seven straight losses to the Red Wings. … Detroit G Jimmy Howard was out with a broken finger. … Dubnyk made his career-high fifth consecutive start in goal for Edmonton. … After an injury-filled season, the Oilers are almost back to full strength as the league’s rookie points leader, Nugent-Hopkins, returned to the lineup after missing the last 13 games with a shoulder injury. D Tom Gilbert, the only Oiler still on the IR, is expected to play early next week. … Bertuzzi was able to play after being listed as questionable going in with a charley horse.
Red Wings rally, lose in shootout to Oilers
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Sam Gagner continued to rack up the points and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the shootout winner as the Edmonton Oilers beat the league-leading Detroit Red Wings 5-4 on Saturday night.
Gagner had two goals and an assist one night after his eight-point game in Edmonton’s 8-4 win over Chicago. He also scored in the shootout.
The Oilers blew a 3-1 lead in the third period but sent it to overtime when Jordan Eberle scored with 39 seconds left.
Eberle ended up with a pair of goals for the Oilers, who have won three in a row and are 4-0-1 in their last five games.
Todd Bertuzzi had a pair of goals, and Valtteri Filppula and Drew Miller also scored for the Red Wings, who snapped a two-game winning streak and lost for only the second time in 11 games.
Detroit almost got on the board first before the game was 2 minutes old. Darren Helm had a short-handed breakaway, but Oilers starter Devan Dubnyk was able to come up with a clutch save.
The Oilers made good on the power play a minute later as Gagner knocked the rebound of Ryan Whitney’s shot past Red Wings goalie Ty Conklin.
Gagner got his second point of the night just before the 6-minute mark of the first. He put the puck on net, and it slipped beneath Conklin and went to Eberle, who scored his 21st of the seasons.
Edmonton retained the lead after killing off a two-man disadvantage. Corey Potter was given a double-minor for coming to the aid of teammate Ales Hemsky after he was crushed along the boards by Niklas Kronwall. An addition penalty to Edmonton’s Ladislav Smid left the team down two players for a full 2 minutes.
Gagner had a direct result on two more goals to close out the first period, one by each team.
With 37 seconds to play, Gagner coughed up the puck to Filppula in his own zone on the power play. Filppula fanned on his shot but it hit Whitney’s and trickled into the Oiler net, just out of the reach of a diving Dubnyk, for the short-handed goal.
Gagner redeemed himself with less than a second left in the period on the same power play as he tipped in a Ryan Smyth shot for his second of the game. It was the 11th consecutive Edmonton goal that Gagner got a point on, all within a three-period span going back to the second period of the win over Chicago.
Recent call-up Joey MacDonald started the second period in the Detroit net.
Detroit made it a one-goal game 2 minutes into the third as Henrik Zetterberg fed it to Bertuzzi from behind the net and he whacked at the puck under Dubnyk.
The Red Wings tied the game 3-all only 3 minutes later as Helm got the puck through to Miller in front of the net and had an easy redirect for his 10th of the year.
Detroit took a 4-3 lead with just under 4 minutes to go as Bertuzzi showed some skill, passing it to himself through defenseman Andy Sutton’s legs before beating Dubnyk up high.
With Dubnyk on the bench, the Oilers sent it to extra time as Eberle found the puck in a scramble in front and put it past MacDonald.
NOTES: It was the third of four meetings between the two teams this season. Detroit won the first two games by 3-0 and 3-2 scores. The Oilers came into the game with seven straight losses to the Red Wings. … Detroit G Jimmy Howard was out with a broken finger. … Dubnyk made his career-high fifth consecutive start in goal for Edmonton. … After an injury-filled season, the Oilers are almost back to full strength as the league’s rookie points leader, Nugent-Hopkins, returned to the lineup after missing the last 13 games with a shoulder injury. D Tom Gilbert, the only Oiler still on the IR, is expected to play early next week. … Bertuzzi was able to play after being listed as questionable going in with a charley horse.
Oilers fan goes streaking after losing bet
An Edmonton Oilers fan stripped down and ran naked through the streets of Fort McMurray, Alberta on Thursday night after Sam Gagner etched his name in the franchise record book with eight
points, as the Oilers rolled to an 8-4 home victory over the
Chicago Blackhawks. With four goals and four assists,
Gagner matched the Edmonton mark for points in a game previously shared
by Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky (twice) and Paul Coffey.Travis Dakin made a bet with friends and his wife that Gagner, also a native of Fort McMurray, wouldn’t reach the eight point plateau in a single game.”A deal is a deal,” Dakin said before baring it all on a cold winter night and running in the nude down the street. A video was posted on twitvid.com of the streaking incident.
Red Wings-Oilers game-day updates: good Howard news is worth jumping the gun
Thus far there are scant updates regarding the Edmonton Oilers team the Detroit Red Wings will have their hands full tangling with tonight (10 PM EST, FSD/CBC/NHL Network US [CBC feed]/WXYT), but dammit, there’s more than enough reason to jump the gun on the game-day update thread, via the Free Press’s Helene St. James…
Jimmy Howard on ice with teammates this morning, good sign broken finger not too bad
DetroitRedWings.com’s Bill Roose…
#RedWings Jimmy Howard is practicing at Rexall Place. Just showed me notched out part of stick to accommodate broken index finger. #NHL
And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan:
Continue reading “Red Wings-Oilers game-day updates: good Howard news is worth jumping the gun”
Making Sense Of The Ryan Smyth Trade Rumor
Larry Brooks reported yesterday that the Rangers are supposedly interested in Edmonton’s Ryan Smyth. According to Brooks, Smyth is willing to waive his no-movement clause to come to New York. While Smyth would probably fit the Rangers style of play, one has to wonder the legitimacy of this rumor.
This past summer Smyth requested that the Los Angeles Kings (a team on the rise) trade him back to Edmonton, so he could finish his career as an Oiler. It seems peculiar that a 35 year old nearing retirement, who chose to go home over competing for the Cup, would want to be traded back to a contender.
Now don’t get me wrong. The net presence of Ryan Smyth is a big part of the Oilers power play and I’m sure he could provide some secondary scoring off the forecheck. But what do you give up for a 35 year old who will likely return to Edmonton this summer? If the rumor is true, my offer would obviously be Wolski.
Of course the Oilers are rebuilding, so I imagine they would also want someone you…
NHL Trade Rumors: Ryan Smyth Could Be Bound For Broadway
We’ve now crossed from January on into February, which for the NHL means that trade rumors are bound to start picking up steam.
And though they’ve enjoyed great success to this point in the season, the New York Rangers are expected to be among the teams adding at least an additional piece before the deadline later this month.
Most of those trade rumors have them picking up a veteran to add to the forward lines. With such a young team in New York, they can use the veteran experience of an older vet.
One of those names, which has picked up steam of late, is that of Ryan Smyth, according to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks.
Smyth was one of the bigger names to be traded this past summer, when he was traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the Edmonton Oilers, the team that originally drafted him in 1994. The Oilers’ general manager at the time was Glen Sather.
It wouldn’t be Smyth’s first go-around in New York, as he was traded from the Oilers to the I…
Gagner still in awe of his 8-point night
Sam Gagner was still having trouble Friday believing his name is in the Edmonton Oilers record book alongside the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.
Gagner moved himself into such lofty company after registering a club record-tying eight points in Edmonton’s 8-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
”You can’t really recreate a memory like that,” Gagner said after the Oilers’ skate Friday morning. ”I’m not sure if it’s even sunk in fully yet.
”Once the summer hits, it might. For myself, I’m trying to stay even-keeled as much as I can. It’s hard but we have games coming up. It seems like we play every other day. I’ve got to find a way to just kind of relax and get some sleep and get ready for the next one.”
Gagner had four goals and four assists to become just the 11th player in NHL history to register eight points in one game. Gretzky did it twice, against New Jersey in 1983 and Minnesota in 1984, while Coffey did so against Detroit in 1986.
Gretzky’s No. 99 and Coffey’s No. 7 hang in the rafters at Rexall Place, and both players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. They contacted Gagner to offer their congratulations.
”To be mentioned in a record with those guys is a pretty special feeling and just really an honor,” Gagner said.
”To get a text from someone like that, who is the best player of all time, it’s something he didn’t have to do,” he said of Gretzky. ”To take time out of his day to do that, it was really special for me and it meant a lot.”
He still hasn’t read all the other text messages he received.
”I had 60 last night and another 50 when I got up this morning,” Gagner told a large group of reporters. ”It’s a lot of work texting everyone back, but it’s nice to see the support from everyone.”
Mario Lemieux twice had eight points and was the last to do so before Gagner. In fact, the 22-year-old Gagner wasn’t even born when Lemieux did it for the second time Dec. 31, 1988, against New Jersey.
”I think it speaks volumes to how crazy getting eight points in a game in today’s era is and how it just doesn’t happen,” linemate Taylor Hall said.
”It’s just an amazing stat and I’m grateful I was there to see it,” he added.
Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs holds the NHL record of 10 points in one game. He accomplished the feat against the Boston Bruins at Maple Leaf Gardens on Feb. 7, 1976.
”When I had eight, guys were talking about it, that I had a chance to tie Darryl Sittler,” Gagner said. ”I was like, ‘There’s three minutes left. I’m not sure if that’s going to happen.’
”I wasn’t even thinking of scoring nine to beat Gretzky. I just wanted to continue to keep it going.”
Slowed by a sprained ankle to start the season and shifted between center and both wings by coach Tom Renney, Gagner got his first prolonged chance to play with Hall and Jordan Eberle when rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins injured his shoulder in Chicago on Jan. 2.
”He didn’t get any (points) in the first period, which is even more incredible that he got them all in just two periods,” said Nugent-Hopkins, who’s expected to return against Detroit on Saturday. ”Definitely, they’re going to stick together after a night like that.”
In the waning seconds, teammates were urging Gagner to take another shift in an attempt to move past Gretzky and Coffey. But he stayed on the bench, completely spent.
”It was just an extraordinary night,” defenseman Ladislav Smid said. ”Thank God we had him in the lineup. It’s great.
”I’m so happy for him. He has shown several times this season he’s a great teammate. Everybody goes through some bumps, you know? You couldn’t really tell. He was positive around us. He had a few fights, just to show that he cares.”
Gagner had one goal and five assists in the first 12 games Nugent-Hopkins missed before Thursday’s performance.
”I just wanted to continue to tell myself that there was still a long way left to go,” Gagner said of his slow start. ”I just wanted to work hard and fight my way back.
”I still believe there is still a long way to go. There’s a lot left to prove and I’ve got to make sure I’m ready every day to come to the rink and produce. That has to be my mindset.”
Oilers’ Gagner still in awe of his 8-goal night
Sam Gagner was still having trouble Friday believing his name is in the Edmonton Oilers record book alongside the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.
Gagner moved himself into such lofty company after registering a club record-tying eight points in Edmonton’s 8-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
”You can’t really recreate a memory like that,” Gagner said after the Oilers’ skate Friday morning. ”I’m not sure if it’s even sunk in fully yet.
”Once the summer hits, it might. For myself, I’m trying to stay even-keeled as much as I can. It’s hard but we have games coming up. It seems like we play every other day. I’ve got to find a way to just kind of relax and get some sleep and get ready for the next one.”
Gagner had four goals and four assists to become just the 11th player in NHL history to register eight points in one game. Gretzky did it twice, against New Jersey in 1983 and Minnesota in 1984, while Coffey did so against Detroit in 1986.
Gretzky’s No. 99 and Coffey’s No. 7 hang in the rafters at Rexall Place, and both players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame. They contacted Gagner to offer their congratulations.
”To be mentioned in a record with those guys is a pretty special feeling and just really an honor,” Gagner said.
”To get a text from someone like that, who is the best player of all time, it’s something he didn’t have to do,” he said of Gretzky. ”To take time out of his day to do that, it was really special for me and it meant a lot.”
He still hasn’t read all the other text messages he received.
”I had 60 last night and another 50 when I got up this morning,” Gagner told a large group of reporters. ”It’s a lot of work texting everyone back, but it’s nice to see the support from everyone.”
Mario Lemieux twice had eight points and was the last to do so before Gagner. In fact, the 22-year-old Gagner wasn’t even born when Lemieux did it for the second time Dec. 31, 1988, against New Jersey.
”I think it speaks volumes to how crazy getting eight points in a game in today’s era is and how it just doesn’t happen,” linemate Taylor Hall said.
”It’s just an amazing stat and I’m grateful I was there to see it,” he added.
Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs holds the NHL record of 10 points in one game. He accomplished the feat against the Boston Bruins at Maple Leaf Gardens on Feb. 7, 1976.
”When I had eight, guys were talking about it, that I had a chance to tie Darryl Sittler,” Gagner said. ”I was like, ‘There’s three minutes left. I’m not sure if that’s going to happen.’
”I wasn’t even thinking of scoring nine to beat Gretzky. I just wanted to continue to keep it going.”
Slowed by a sprained ankle to start the season and shifted between center and both wings by coach Tom Renney, Gagner got his first prolonged chance to play with Hall and Jordan Eberle when rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins injured his shoulder in Chicago on Jan. 2.
”He didn’t get any (points) in the first period, which is even more incredible that he got them all in just two periods,” said Nugent-Hopkins, who’s expected to return against Detroit on Saturday. ”Definitely, they’re going to stick together after a night like that.”
In the waning seconds, teammates were urging Gagner to take another shift in an attempt to move past Gretzky and Coffey. But he stayed on the bench, completely spent.
”It was just an extraordinary night,” defenseman Ladislav Smid said. ”Thank God we had him in the lineup. It’s great.
”I’m so happy for him. He has shown several times this season he’s a great teammate. Everybody goes through some bumps, you know? You couldn’t really tell. He was positive around us. He had a few fights, just to show that he cares.”
Gagner had one goal and five assists in the first 12 games Nugent-Hopkins missed before Thursday’s performance.
”I just wanted to continue to tell myself that there was still a long way left to go,” Gagner said of his slow start. ”I just wanted to work hard and fight my way back.
”I still believe there is still a long way to go. There’s a lot left to prove and I’ve got to make sure I’m ready every day to come to the rink and produce. That has to be my mindset.”
Sittler talks Gagner’s ‘magical’ night
Darryl Sittler knows exactly how Sam Gagner felt.
”Everything falls into place,” he said. ”Every shot you take pretty well goes in or you make a pass and the guy completes it. It’s magical those types of nights. They don’t happen very often.”
Gagner finished with eight points — four goals, four assists — in Edmonton’s 8-4 victory over Chicago on Thursday night. The Oilers’ forward became just the 12th NHL player to total at least that many points in a game — and the first since Mario Lemieux on Dec. 31, 1988.
Sittler, the former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has held the NHL record since Feb. 7, 1976. His landmark game against Boston featured six goals and four assists. It remains an evening he still can’t explain.
”I would never have thought that in my wildest dreams that I would be the one to score 10 points in a game, but it happened,” Sittler told The Canadian Press on Friday. ”I’m sure Gagner probably never thought he’d have eight.
”He’s been struggling a little bit this season — I don’t know if he’s had injuries or what it is — but he certainly put up the points last night.”
All of Gagner’s goals and assists came in the final 40 minutes. After finishing the second period with three points, he scored the first of three third-period goals at 1:54. He would add two more assists as well.
Sensing what was happening, the fans at Rexall Place chanted ”We want 10! We want 10!” — a nod to both a previous blowout win over Chicago and Sittler’s record.
”I didn’t think I would ever be mentioned in the same breath as (Wayne) Gretzky or (Paul) Coffey,” said the 22-year-old Gagner. ”You never expect to do something like this.”
”It’s a great lesson to never set limits,” he added. ”The great players who played here never did that. It was just one of those games where everything went in and just a great feeling.”
Even though scoring in hockey has been greatly reduced since Sittler set his record, he’s still surprised it hasn’t been challenged. No other NHL player has even reached nine points.
”It’s gone on for a long time,” Sittler said. ”I guess the fact that there were so many great players like Wayne and Mario (Lemieux) and Sidney (Crosby) and (Alex) Ovechkin, and the number of years that passed. … I get asked about it all the time.”
The 51-year-old Sittler works in community relations for the Maple Leafs. He understands that records, even as long-standing as his, eventually fall.
”Those things are out of your control,” he said. ”If somebody breaks it, that would be great. No different I guess when I tied and broke (Maurice) Rocket Richard’s record – a great Canadian hero and he scored it in the ’40s. I don’t think anyone would have thought that somebody else was going to get eight (points) or six (goals) in a game, that sort of thing. And it happened.
”If it happens to somebody, I’d be happy for them. But, hey, am I glad to hold the record and would like to continue holding it? Sure, definitely.”
But he knows that one day that may no longer be the case.
”If the stars are aligned right and everything is working, it might happen someday,” Sittler said. ”I’m glad to have done it in a Leafs uniform and I’m proud to have held the record for as long as I have so far.”
Gagner did manage one entry into the Oilers’ record book. He tied the franchise mark for most points in a game, joining Gretzky and Coffey.
A magical eight-point night for Sam Gagner
I’m still having a hard time believing I was in attendance for “The Sam Gagner show” last night. As a handicapped individual purchasing single-game tickets is literally the luck of the draw. The Oilers office puts you on the list then, calls you if they happen to have leftover tickets for upcoming games. My best friend was able to secure two tickets for last night’s game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers. Anybody who knows me personally knows these are my two favorite teams. So, I was stoked to be going even before the history unfolded.I saved my ticket stub, as a reminder that I was actually in attendance. Section: 126 Row: A19 Seat: 1. -The best 75 bucks I have ever spent – If you are wondering, I do believe in magic. And last night was the most magical event I have ever been a part of! Sam Gagner equaling the Edmonton Oilers single-game franchise record eight-points held by the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey. All while I at Re…
Sittler marvels over Gagner’s ‘magical’ night
Darryl Sittler knows exactly how Sam Gagner felt.
”Everything falls into place,” he said. ”Every shot you take pretty well goes in or you make a pass and the guy completes it. It’s magical those types of nights. They don’t happen very often.”
Gagner finished with eight points – four goals, four assists – in Edmonton’s 8-4 victory over Chicago on Thursday night. The Oilers’ forward became just the 12th NHL player to total at least that many points in a game – and the first since Mario Lemieux on Dec. 31, 1988.
Sittler, the former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, has held the NHL record since Feb. 7, 1976. His landmark game against Boston featured six goals and four assists. It remains an evening he still can’t explain.
”I would never have thought that in my wildest dreams that I would be the one to score 10 points in a game, but it happened,” Sittler told The Canadian Press on Friday. ”I’m sure Gagner probably never thought he’d have eight.
”He’s been struggling a little bit this season – I don’t know if he’s had injuries or what it is – but he certainly put up the points last night.”
All of Gagner’s goals and assists came in the final 40 minutes. After finishing the second period with three points, he scored the first of three third-period goals at 1:54. He would add two more assists as well.
Sensing what was happening, the fans at Rexall Place chanted ”We want 10! We want 10!” – a nod to both a previous blowout win over Chicago and Sittler’s record.
”I didn’t think I would ever be mentioned in the same breath as (Wayne) Gretzky or (Paul) Coffey,” said the 22-year-old Gagner. ”You never expect to do something like this.”
”It’s a great lesson to never set limits,” he added. ”The great players who played here never did that. It was just one of those games where everything went in and just a great feeling.”
Even though scoring in hockey has been greatly reduced since Sittler set his record, he’s still surprised it hasn’t been challenged. No other NHL player has even reached nine points.
”It’s gone on for a long time,” Sittler said. ”I guess the fact that there were so many great players like Wayne and Mario (Lemieux) and Sidney (Crosby) and (Alex) Ovechkin, and the number of years that passed. … I get asked about it all the time.”
The 51-year-old Sittler works in community relations for the Maple Leafs. He understands that records, even as long-standing as his, eventually fall.
”Those things are out of your control,” he said. ”If somebody breaks it, that would be great. No different I guess when I tied and broke (Maurice) Rocket Richard’s record – a great Canadian hero and he scored it in the ’40s. I don’t think anyone would have thought that somebody else was going to get eight (points) or six (goals) in a game, that sort of thing. And it happened.
”If it happens to somebody, I’d be happy for them. But, hey, am I glad to hold the record and would like to continue holding it? Sure, definitely.”
But he knows that one day that may no longer be the case.
”If the stars are aligned right and everything is working, it might happen someday,” Sittler said. ”I’m glad to have done it in a Leafs uniform and I’m proud to have held the record for as long as I have so far.”
Gagner did manage one entry into the Oilers’ record book. He tied the franchise mark for most points in a game, joining Gretzky and Coffey.
